My Thanksgiving - Seasonal or Annual?

I learned to love working in the yard from my Aunt Nancy and Uncle James.  They taught me so much about grass, plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees.  My Aunt Nancy loved roses and really all kinds of flowers.  I recently went to Lowe's to look at some flowers.  I noticed several signs that caught my attention.  One of the signs said, "climate-controlled."  Another sign said, "seasonal."  And finally, another sign said, "annual."  I understood what the signs meant when it came to the plants I was selecting for my house.  However, I couldn't help but thing about my attitude and my choices as a Christ follower.  We are entering the time of year when we celebrate many things: fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, a new year, etc.  For me, I really get into celebration mode thinking about Thanksgiving.

The question that I asked myself shook me to my core.  Is my THANKSGIVING seasonal, climate-controlled, or is my THANKSGIVING annual?  When we talk about plants, a seasonal plant is only around for a few short weeks.  It shows off and then it is gone.  A climate-controlled plant only survives when the conditions are just right.  An annual plant is one that thrives and survives throughout the year.  Psalm 95 reminds us that as Christ followers, we should come before the Lord with THANKSGIVING in our hearts.  We should sing and shout for joy before the Lord daily.  Our THANKSGIVING to and for God should never be seasonal or climate-controlled.  However, what I am seeing and hearing more and more often is that instead of praising God and giving Him thanks daily, we only do so when it is convenient; we only do so in certain circumstances, in climate-controlled environments; our praise and our THANKSGIVING seems to be more seasonal than annual.

As Christ followers, we need to be careful with the culture we create or the culture we embrace.  Instead of hearing many conversations filled with THANKSGIVING, I am hearing many more conversations filled with grumbling and complaining.  We grumble and complain about everything...in the home, in the workplace, in the school, and yes, in the church!  This is not OK!  Paul says in Philippians 2:14-16, "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.'  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life."  In John 6, Jesus had just fed the five thousand with bread and fish, and He had just walked on the water to be with His disciples in the boat.  The crowds followed Him, and Jesus told them that He was the Bread of Life come down from heaven.  He was meeting their needs, both physically and spiritually.  However, John 6:41 says, "At this the Jews began to grumble about him because He said, 'I am the bread come down from heaven."  In John 6:43, when Jesus heard their grumbling, He said, "Stop grumbling among yourselves."  In the Greek language, the word "grumble" means "to mutter and complain."  Jesus shows us throughout the New Testament that grumbling is serious!  Grumbling, muttering, and complaining can be deadly for the body of Christ.  When we cultivate or participate in an environment of complaining it weakens commitment and chokes surrender.  As Christ followers, surrender is choice we make daily.  We surrender our will to the will of God.  We surrender our hearts for the heart of God.  As Christ followers, commitment is choice we make daily. We commit ourselves to be ambassadors of God in a "warped and crooked generation."  We commit ourselves to love God and to love others the way Jesus loves us.  A culture of grumbling, muttering, and complaining destroys our surrender and our commitment.  We need to see and to understand what we are doing when we choose to grumble and to complain.  It is not good!

What can we do about the culture of grumbling, the spirit of complaint in our lives?  I believe the answer is found in Philippians 4:4-7.  Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  If we have cultivated or embraced a culture or a spirit of grumbling and complaining, we need to repent of it.  We need to take it to God in prayer and let go of it.  We need to stop spreading the disease of grumbling to our homes, to our workplaces, to our schools, and even to our churches.  We need to rejoice in the Lord...always!  We need to cultivate and to embrace gentleness and THANKSGIVING!  And we need to do it daily!  A culture and a spirit of THANKSGIVING shouldn't just be seasonal or climate-controlled.  A culture and a spirit of THANKSGIVING should be annual...all year round, every day!  I am praying that the Holy Spirit will convict me of my sin and move me to walk in God's love and celebrate God's love and share God's love daily.  I am praying that my THANKSGIVING will be annual and not seasonal or climate-controlled anymore from this day forward!  Amen.