Pastor Ron Burcham, Risen Savior Lutheran Church

I believe Hallmark would reject an idea I have for a Thanksgiving card, although I think it would be a good one. Picture it with me, the front of the card would have a beautiful cornucopia with “Happy Thanksgiving” in big bold print. With a smile on your face, you would open the card to “Thanks for nothing!” Great idea, right? Hmm I am sensing skepticism on your part. Perhaps you work for Hallmark.

I am sticking with “thanks for nothing” as a great theme for Thanksgiving. Instead of being thankful for all the things that you have, perhaps it would be better to be thankful for the things you don’t have. You know, the things you desperately wanted, but now you realize it is much better that you didn’t receive. Let’s think of a few.

The girl you were sure was the only one for you, but in reality she doesn’t hold a candle to the one you now call your bride. The promotion you didn’t get to the division that was sold the next year eliminating all positions. The deal on a new home that fell through in 2008. That time the store had sold out all of the Betamax players and you settled for the VHS player. (If you don’t know what either of those are, you will need to look it up in an encyclopedia – wait, I mean Google it). The muscle car you could never afford and all of the speeding tickets you would have gotten with it. When you just missed getting tickets to the Cardinal’s season opener against the Patriots.

You no doubt have your own list going on in your head right now – things you desperately wanted or thought you needed. Now as you look back you wipe your brow and give a sigh of relief. Jesus once said, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13) I have always turned that around to say, what if your son asks you for a snake or a scorpion? No father would give their child something that would harm them. How much more does our Father in heaven know what is good for us and what is bad for us, even if we ask for the bad.

This Thanksgiving as you express your gratitude for all that God has blessed you with, you might want to say; “Oh, and thanks for nothing!”