Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Cold Circumstances - November 24, 2010

Cold Wednesday morning! ...and it's just going to get colder as the day goes on. Korea, another cold place, is in high tension today, and it does not appear there is much hope for the miners in New Zealand. This does not seem to be one of those bright cheerful days, even the weather is gray and cold. Yet, tomorrow is our Thanksgiving holiday. Is this a test to see if we can still be thankful? I don't know for sure, but certainly our circumstances at any given time could be a trial for all of us. Many people will be traveling in the cold today, although some will have made the journey already to beat the weather change. Those wishing for physical intimacy with a complete stranger can go through security at any major airport, and those wishing to risk their lives can drive across Utah today where a blizzard is expected. You can see how someone wishing to celebrate Thanksgiving in Salt Lake City might face quite the dilemma. "Let's see do we take a chance on being molested by a TSA agent or do we risk driving through the Utah mountains?" Other people will do their best to celebrate Thanksgiving in a place they would rather not be.

We have many military personnel deployed right now and home will be very much on their minds as they celebrate far away. Laura Stafford and her son may be celebrating the holiday in the hospital in Denver. As some of us have experienced, holidays in the hospital are just way too difficult. Some folks will simply have to work on Thanksgiving, and that is not easy to bear. So how do we remain thankful in all of this? For one thing, we can stop looking at the circumstances and look to our Lord, the one to whom we should be thankful both for what he has done for us and for what he has provided to us. All of us can look around and find things to grumble about, that is part of living in this fallen world. Looking to God and finding all the things we can be thankful for is rewarding and wonderful. Tomorrow, for Thanksgiving, I'll plan on just being thankful. That may require setting aside some of my staring at the circumstances and instead a turning of my view to the Savior.

Get ready to be grateful! Thanksgiving is upon us.

Bucky

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