Take time to digest your blessings

Just a few days ago, I was seated with my family and friends around the Thanksgiving table. I won’t say I ate too much. I did, I just won’t say it.

Why is it on Thanksgiving we give ourselves permission to gorge ourselves to the point of semi-consciousness?

Of course, a great thing about Thanksgiving is the fabulous dinner spread, surrounded by family and friends. It is truly a time to give thanks to God for the manifold blessings he has showered on us throughout the year. Although there have been a few drought times during the past year, God’s showers of blessing always came at the right time.

Thanksgiving Day is a diet challenge. It is the one day of the year I can toss caution to the wind (which is the only exercise I get on Thanksgiving) and forget my diet carefully supervised by my wife.

It is not that I take advantage of the situation… okay, so I do take advantage of the situation. However, that is the glorious aspect of holidays like Thanksgiving. People in my situation can get away with things that are impossible the rest of the year. And I’m not just thinking of that second piece of pumpkin pie.

The second great thing about Thanksgiving is the day after. The business community refers to this day as Black Friday. This is a day when they turn their ledger from red to black.

Whoever invented the shopping frenzy associated with the day after Thanksgiving should be congratulated and offered the Nobel Peace Prize. On Black Friday in our home, my wife and daughters leave the house early to spend the entire day shopping and I get the opportunity to black out for the entire day. If I may say so, it is a glorious day of loafing.

The feast like we usually have on Thanksgiving Day requires at least one full day of concentrating and allowing the meal to digest, no matter how long it takes. The older I get the longer it takes my digestive system to complete its work. My philosophy is, don’t rush the process.

I have managed to bring loafing to a finely developed art. It has taken years for me to get to this point of expertise. My expertise in this area is most remarkable for the simple fact that I only get to practice this one day out of the year.

In case someone gets the wrong idea about all of this, let me assure you that loafing has certain health benefits. Of course, if I am caught practicing my loafing when my wife has instructed me to do some things around the house, it has an adverse effect on my health. The key here is to practice loafing when your wife is out of the house shopping the entire day, which is why Black Friday was invented.

It is a proven fact that most of the people in our country today are overworked and totally stressed out by their lives. In spite of all the technology available to us, we are a nation that has forgotten how to rest.

Years ago in our country, when we were more Christian than we are today, we set aside Sunday as the day of rest. That has completely gone by the wayside as we became a culture of 24/7 activity. The only solution all our experts have come up with is to pop a pill and keep on going.

A friend of mine has a marvelous saying, “Either come apart and rest a while, or you will simply come apart.” I like that.

Jesus said something similar. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)

We have learned how to feast and our buffet table is loaded with goodies. Perhaps it would be a good time to take some time to rest and let our soul settle and digest the rich blessings of God.

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