Archive for January, 2025
Bah, Humbug!
Thanksgiving is over, but this is not “National Humbug Month.” When Scrooge repeatedly called Christmas “humbug,” it was because he believed the holiday fit the bill in more ways than one. He thought Christmas tricked people into feeling cheerful and thankful when they had nothing to feel cheerful about or thankful for. “What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough,” he tells his nephew Fred.
He used the expression because he believed people had “nothing to feel cheerful about or thankful for.” “Bah” was an expression of contempt or annoyance.
With Thanksgiving over and emphasis on Christmas ensuing some folks leave a thankful heart behind. Some even show contempt for Christmas. What a value swing: contempt or cheer?
There was another meaning to “humbug” other than the demeaning way Scrooge used it. Around 1820 in England large sticks of red and white striped peppermint were a popular candy. These sticks of candy were called “humbugs.” They were a treat that brought goodwill and cheer. Though not by that name peppermint sticks still fulfill that role. They were analogous for goodwill and cheer.
So the word humbug had two extremely different meanings. Consider them:
Scrooge used the word disparagingly, meaning there is no reason for cheer.
The public in general saw it as symbolical for good cheer.
Which do you prefer?
At the birth of Jesus the angel announced “peace of earth, good will to men.”
In the song “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” there is the line, “There is no peace on earth good will to men.”
Those who hold to this thought miss the true use of the expression. The expression at the birth of Jesus was not a promise of peace and good will, but it was a prescription for peace and good will. Banish “bah,” let there be humbug, good cheer, on earth.
Keep that in mind as you plan for Christmas. Sing and pray these words for “Let there be peace on Earth.”
“Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father Brothers all are we Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now. With ev’ry step I take Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me.”
After Thanksgiving, What?
Thanksgiving Day is over. Now what? Surely days of giving thanks are not over. This is no time to return to ingratitude.
We have survived a brutal election season in a divided country. We need healing. We need to give thanks for the things that unite us. Our broken world is filled with anger, distrust, and war. Thank the Lord we have survived all this and more.
Have thoughts of entitlement or familiarity or indifference crept in to diminish or color your gratitude? If so, you are being myopic in your thoughts regarding the many blessings you are receiving. Overcoming this and renewing an attitude of thanksgiving is found in two uplift ways.
The panacea is found in two of the most meaningful words you can speak. They are “Thank you.” Simple isn’t it?
We owe the Pilgrims gratitude for identifying the appropriate object of our thanks. Our object as was theirs should be to our benevolent God. Yes, God. Candidly, when was the last time you expressed to Him those two words: “Thank you.” Get up to date and pause now to do so.
Maybe you don’t feel thankful. Feeling thankful is an act of emotions. Giving thanks is an act of the will.
Surrounded by death and grief the Pilgrims likely did not feel very thankful. However, they had hearts of thanks and gave thanks in spite of any negative feelings.
Perhaps you presently don’t feel very thankful. Try these reasons for expressing thanks.
“Be thankful you can open your eyes wide.
Be thankful for what you see outside.
Be thankful for green grass and blue sky.
Be thankful for all those passing by.
Be thankful for this country so free
Where each can express opinions peacefully.
Be thankful on this and every day.
Repay these gifts in your special way.” Gregory Huyette
It has been said gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
An inventory of things for which you feel it unreasonable to be thankful is easy to make. Surprise, everybody has such a list. Everybody? Everybody, even the person you know with the cheeriest disposition? Everybody.
I have known a lot of “old saints” through the years. Their youthful and even golden years have passed them. Daily pain is an uninvited guest in their body. Sadness is strewn across their life’s past. Among them there have been many who simply chose to be thankful and to express it.
In another city I recently visited a friend who was once a vibrant athlete, a scholar, and high school principal. His eyes were deeply sunken, his complexion a sick yellow, and his body frail. Cancer was his bodily antagonist. Faint though it was, there was a smile on his purple lips and a faint voice expressive of thanksgiving. Why? Because long ago he found the source deserving of thanks of which adversity could not rob him. Here we are back to the Pilgrims. He, like they, had identified the source worthy of thanks.
Albert Schweitzer noted “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” If there is such a person in your life, pause now for such a person and let that flame blaze by thanking the Lord for that person and all of His blessings upon you.
God is giving you the gift of 86,400 seconds today. When it is over how many will you have spent thanking Him?
May Yours Be a Blessed Thanksgiving
To all who read my Post, thank you and may you be blessed. Recently I discovered a poem I learned years ago. I share it with the hope it might inspire you as it has me over the years. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Forgive Me When I Whine
Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her — she seemed so gay, and how, I wished I were so fair; When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet — the world is mine.
And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, “It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find”; he turned and said, “Oh, thank you sir.” And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.
Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know. I am blessed indeed. The world is mine; oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
Be thankful, be blessed. Be blessed, be thankful.
Guidelines for a Lifestyle of Thankfulness: Part Four
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18).
A thankful heart is a portal for praise. We are to “give thanks.” It is an outward expression of an internal attitude.
Praise is not an option to those who want to please God. He said it is His “will,” that is, what He wants of us.
Praise spares us the pain of a bloated ego. When we learn to pass on to the Lord all the praise we receive, we are blessed.
Praise is rooted in the confidence that God can use all things for good. Those who realize that blessings often come wrapped in burdens can give thanks “in everything.”
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, as a Russian dissident, was imprisoned in Siberia. He wrote of that horror:
“It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirring of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes, not through states, nor classes, nor political parties, but right through all human hearts. So, bless you, prison, for having been in my life.’
What are the “prisons” in your life presently for which you need to praise the Lord?
That little preposition “in” (en) means to give thanks “in connection with everything.” Knowing this prevents us from facing the adversities of life with gritted teeth, and enables us to face them with grateful hearts.
The fact that “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” does not mean you have to do it, but that you can do it at all times. There are many things we can’t do, but this we can do. You can pull yourself out of the shadows of life into the sunlight of His love by prayer. Often a Psalm begins by the writer describing himself as being in a state of despondency. Read on! As he begins to praise the Lord in this state, it is as though his spirit takes wings and soars in joy. The dove of joy rises on the wings of prayer and praise.
If circumstances leave you with little obvious in them for which to praise the Lord, take an imaginary walk around Calvary. Look into the eyes of Jesus. Listen to His quivering, but acquitting voice. Remember the crown of thorns. Then tell yourself, “All this was done for me.” See if that gives you something for which to praise Him.
In this season of giving thanks reflect once more: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18).
Guidelines for a Lifestyle of Thankfulness: Part Three
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18).
Joy is a primary trait of giving thanks. It is enabled by having a good prayer life. We are to “pray without ceasing….”
Prayer is the natural consequence of friendship with God.
Henry J. Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Perhaps this is true. For those of whom it is true, it is a revelation that they have not established the right friendship with God.
To “pray without ceasing” doesn’t mean continuously occurring prayer, BUT constantly recurring. It means never to hang up the receiver, even if you are not talking. It means to always have your antenna up. Our practice of prayer may be intermittent, but the spirit of prayer must be incessant.
Constant prayer causes our mind to conceive and the child brought forth is WISDOM.
In times of crisis, we are prone to resort to prayer. In the Cuban missile crisis, America faced a pending disaster. Russian-made missiles in Cuba were found aimed at our cities. A naval blockade was set up. Confrontation seemed inevitable. People rushed to stores to stock up on medicine, food, and batteries. President Kennedy in an address to the nation appealed to all people to pray “in your homes, churches, and schools.” Even schools! Yes, the crisis forgets about improper laws. If we will pray in a crisis, why not in celebration.
If you are ever on a flight preparing for a crash and the pilot has time you will hear him say: “We are beginning our final descent. At this moment, in accordance with International Aviation Codes established at Geneva, it is my obligation to inform you that if you believe in God you should commence prayer.”
Don’t wait for a nose dive to pray.
Self-confidence apart from the right relationship with the Lord is one of our greatest hindrances. Associated-confidence is a sure way to victorious living. By this is meant aligning yourself with the will of the Father through prayer.
For example, the failure of Simon Peter at the time of the betrayal of Christ could not be attributed to insincerity or a lack of zeal. In good faith he loved Jesus. In good faith he would have died for Him. His failure grew out of a prayerless heart in the garden. As a result, he trusted his own strength to do what his own will dictated. If he had obeyed His Lord and prayed, this self-deception would have been avoided.
Prayer is not simply asking and receiving. It is also praise and thanksgiving and not just on Thanksgiving Day. Keep the communication channel open daily. It is the undergirding of joy.