Dr. Seuss and Thanksgiving

As a father of 8 children, I have read my share of Dr. Seuss books. The “Cat in the Hat” reminds me to keep my kids active otherwise they may get into mischief, and to be very careful who I let influence my children. As a Pastor, the movie “Horton Hears a Who” has some great spiritual lessons that we can draw out; everyone is important, everyone is worthy to be saved, and providing for and protecting the less fortunate. Dr. Seuss’ real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel. He wrote over 60 books and at the time of his death had sold more than 600 million copies in 20 different languages. The book “Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are” is also another one appropriate for this time of year.

Each summer my extended family has a reunion where 50+ aunts, uncles, cousins, all meet at a college, on a lake, in Northern Minnesota. At the end of the week there have been many memories made, hopefully big fish like northern pike, bass, and maybe a tiger muskie. There is laughter, tears, singing, lots of food, sharing real stories of success and failures, and in the end, we are all thankful this is how we chose to spend summer vacation…together.

There is a quote by Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” It is a great reminder to be thankful for the life we have, the experiences we have, and the people we love and those who love us. This is not just a quote but a life-long mindset, something to shape each of our days and look forward to the next. He also has another quote, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” This also teaches us to cherish each moment we have, to recognize all the good things, and to be thankful and joyful for the time we have been given.

This thankful attitude reminder is also given to us in God’s Word. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states “Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Being thankful is a choice. It is not merely pretending that everything is ok. No one has a life without troubles. But having a thankful mindset is a choice to address those troubles and not allow them to create a dark cloud over every other part of our lives. Being thankful is to look for the moments in our life that are good and hold on to those.

God says to “never stop praying”, which simply means keep talking to Him. He promised in Joshua 1:9 “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” He also said in Deuteronomy 31:6&8 “I will never leave you or abandon you”. Peter told us to, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you”. And Jesus called, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” You see, God wants a relationship with you. He wants you to talk to Him, about everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. He wants you to know that He is always with you and will never abandon you, even in your worst days.

For those who believe that Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah, who paid the penalty for our sins, you have a wonderful inheritance, protected for you, being prepared for you, and God is waiting for you to get there. But in the meantime, God promises to be with you here on Earth, to walk hand in hand with you, no matter what the troubles, or trials, or tragedies that may come your way.

God knows. God sees. God hears. And God is here. Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them”. God doesn’t promise a life free of troubles, doesn’t promise all good things, He promises that “HE” will cause “ALL” things to work together “FOR YOUR GOOD”.

This gives us a thankful mindset. That no matter what this life throws at us, God is with us, God is for us, and God is working in our lives for our good.