The Ninth and Tenth Commandments and Thanksgiving

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments tell us not to be jealous about what other people have.  Thanksgiving is a good time to think about that, because it is the time when we should consider all the blessings in our lives and be thankful for what we do have. Thanksgiving is celebrated in many countries around the world, and usually happens after the fall harvest,   For the first 150 years or so in the United States, most people lived on farms or grew most of their own food in their gardens.  In small towns, people even kept cows or chickens!  So in the fall of the year it was a good time to be thankful for God's bounty in providing for us.  Now we buy most of our food at a grocery store, but we can look around and see the people we love, and places that are important to us, and be thankful for what we have. In the last few years, many people have lost their jobs and sometimes their homes, so it can be very hard to find anything to be thankful for, and it can be hard not to look at the lives of those who are still working and have a home and be a little jealous about it.  It can be very hard to find things to be thankful for when you have lost so much. Thanksgiving is a national holiday, but people of faith can use it to celebrate God's love and forgiveness. Sometimes, when everything seems to be falling apart, hope is the most important gift we can hold onto - hope for a better tomorrow, hope that there will be a job, or a new home, in our future.  Faith is always important, but never more than when we are in difficult times.  Instead of being jealous or bitter about what others have and what you have lost, it is important to find hope.  Jesus can give us hope, and faith in God's forgiveness and Jesus love is the best thing we can be thankful for! Part of being thankful is being willing to share what we have with others.  You can give canned goods to your local food shelf, give your old clothes or toys to a local thrift shop, or just be kind to one another.  Remember: "Always and in everything, Give Thanks!"

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