Perhaps on this Thanksgiving eve it might be well to remind ourselves of the adjuration given to the Israelites who had much to be thankful for but who, like us, often took too much for granted. This would be an appropriate reading as we sit down with our families and friends to partake of the Thanksgiving feast.
Moses says to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 8:10-14; 17-18):
When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall thank the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.
Be careful not to forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today. Lest when you have eaten and are satisfied and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery....[and] you say in your heart, "My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth."
But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you the power to make wealth...
Indeed. Anyone who thinks their "wealth" isn't fragile and ephemeral need only consider the stock market and how entire fortunes, accumulated over years of effort, could be wiped out in a couple of days of market collapse. We only need think of how quickly jobs, houses, possessions, and health can all slip away from us in a mere instant.
All of life's goods hang by a thread, and we should be thankful to God for every moment that the thread doesn't break.
Have a wonderful and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving.
RLC