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An Opportunity To Be Unified In The Context Of Thanks

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 22, 2007

This week, people across the country will pause to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The occasion amounts to a declaration of unity, a common nod of agreement expressed from the perspective of grateful hearts. It's really a remarkable phenomenon, especially when we consider the amazing plurality of beliefs and expressions that define 21st century America.

If we can't be united politically (that's probably a good thing), if we can't come together socially (unfortunate, but so often true) and if we can't all think the same way religiously (probably just as well), then this week's remembrance grants us the opportunity at least to be unified in the context of thanks.

Gratitude has the power to break down almost every other barrier that we tend to erect so readily. In a culture defined by concepts such as "instant getification," the idea of thanks has become less of a natural reflex. We have so much, but instead of being grateful we try to work every angle to make sure that we get even more.

My church in Brandon has been working in Honduras for a number of years. It's a hands-on effort involving building, education and long-term improvements. We provide ongoing support and training through the indigenous church, send livestock, and make an impact on the local economy. The approach is "Show God's love in practical ways, then talk about the faith behind it."

Unfailingly, team members return to Florida with a sense of awe regarding how genuine and joy-filled so many Hondurans are. Team members meet people grateful for their lives and imbued with a quality of peace many Americans drop thousands of dollars to find via expensive trips to the spa, therapy, shopping and other rituals of prosperity.

This week, when we sit around the table with friends and family, I'd like us to pose the following question: "What are we thankful for that has absolutely nothing to do with a juggernaut economy bent on sucking each and every American into one huge black hole of seasonal excess?"

My personal list is extensive and begins with my wife, Rebekah. It also includes my daughter Naomi's happiness, her husband Craig's genuine spirit and my son Andrew's path to fulfillment. I am also deeply thankful for my church, my incredible friends, the doors opening via the publication of my book, the opportunity I have to share my life through this column and the privilege that is mine to live in freedom in this amazing land. I could go on.

I'd love to hear what you all share when you take that moment to reflect, but then I'd like to follow up with another query when you're done: What percentage of our investment in daily life is focused on building on the blessings we just shared?

To put it another way: How soon will we let the moment of clarity pass - like a good Sunday morning intention - and shut off our brief sensitivity to genuine tranquillity? How soon before we slip into autopilot and let the values we don't really value reduce Thanksgiving to a dim memory? How soon before we get down to the serious business of "getification" at hand?

This week is a timely opportunity to make a personal or family declaration of independence. The less beholden we are to stuff - those things that don't come close to making our "I'm so grateful" list around the Thanksgiving table - the less inclined we will be to treat other people as anything less than our brothers and sisters.

People who live in response to thanks tend to be people of peace. People defined by gratitude are less likely to miss the true meaning of the Christmas celebration to come.

Columnist Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul@gmail

.com.

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