Thanksgiving

WED., NOV. 26, 1997, 7:28 AM
JUSTIN’S ROOM, BEN LOMOND

Tomorrow is the official day called Thanksgiving, an original American holiday/celebration. It began, symbolically, with the Pilgrims who were unabashedly religious. It was a time of being thankful to Me, the Provident God, for providing a harvest that would take them through the winter, a harsh one in New England. This was before it seemed right to establish a secular government, not dependent on Me or any other god, directly.

Yet giving thanks seems to require a “receiver”… you’re giving thanks “to whom”? So, despite the desire to have no “establishment of religion” Thanksgiving became an official government holiday. Presumably, then, you could just thank one another, rather than acknowledging that a Sustainer God is responsible for some of what you consider “good” in life. The holiday can be just a family one, with feasting as the major activity.

Still, it is a holiday for thanks, and you certainly can be thankful to Me for much more than turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie. I have told you often that giving thanks to Me is good for your spirit, whether or not I really merit the thanks. As you know, My highest value, for you whom I’ve created, is not individuality and independence. Rather, it is dependence on Me and acceptance of the fact that you are a part of Me, just as I am a part of you. This is not your strong cultural value. I understand this, and, naturally, I see it as a weakness… but you know I also love diversity, so…

Remember that My highest goal for you is mutual dependence, which is an ideal for the best marriage, also. Accept that I can be dependent on you for actions that I want but can’t accomplish, as disembodied Holy Spirit. Conversely… or, better, as a complement… you need to be dependent on Me for protections you want, and for advice and direction for everyday living… and for the remainder of this earth life. I like it when you thank Me spontaneously when you find something you consider lost or for some helpful action… for even some of these mundane, simple actions are at least partly My action. Don’t trouble yourself as to whether and how I could be “present” in this way with every human. Just accept, with thanks, that I am, often, with you.

Thanks is an important part of any good life pattern. Even some who do not acknowledge Me are generous in their thanks to friends, family members, co-workers, and “customers”. One vital part of “good business” is expressing thanks to those who utilize your services. And, in a complementary way, thanking those who provide goods and services is the reciprocal that makes for the best community health… the best human relations. Our Wellspring, Human/Spiritual Interacting, is the crucial one, for it suggests that going beyond just the social customs, with thanks as an expression of spirit, for an act of spirit is truly closer to reality, as I see it.

I expect you, now, to give thanks for all that you have, knowing that “all things come of Thee, O Lord”. When your hand is in Mine there is, in potential, nothing in which I am not involved. I remember a time when you asked for My help and blessing with a professional presentation, and you felt it was quite poor. You then acknowledged that I may have had some responsibility there and even thanked Me for the dud.

I have told you often that much spiritual learning and growth can come forth from apparent failures, so I like being thanked for other than howling successes. I’ll be thanked tomorrow for delicious meat and all of the expected trimmings, but I also should be thanked for beans and rice… or just plain bread.