THANKSGIVING!

It was not a holiday in the U.K. There was no turkey, no stuffing, no mashed potatoes, no cranberry sauce, no candied yams, no pumpkin pie, or any of the other highly calorific entities. Not in this part of the world.

To be perfectly honest, most of the “dawgs” (see an earlier blog “CANINES!” for the genesis and exposition of the term) didn’t particularly miss it. And I’m not much of a turkey aficionado myself, I must confess.

This lack of an affectionate disposition towards the flesh of the species of fowl that gobbles did not, however, preclude us from giving thanks. Minus the bird! What we Americans (and most of us are from the South) missed was … Mexican cuisine! So here we were celebrating Thanksgiving last week with tortilla soup, tacos, and the rest (and varieties of shortbread—a nod in the direction of our newly acquired Scottish heritage!).

And give thanks we did! Especially since one of the motley crew, David, had just successfully emerged from a grueling viva voce—the two-hour oral interview that constitutes the final rite of passage towards a Ph.D.—earlier in the week. This “dawg” was now, for all practical purposes, a “doctor”! And, after four years in the hallowed, medieval halls of University of Aberdeen’s King’s College, after four years of doggie-life, he would be leaving us for Brazil, his homeland, in a few days.

Thanksgiving, tinged with the pain of parting. The way it always has been, is, and will be, in this less-than-perfect world. Pain and pleasure. Bane and blessing. At least for now.

There are few permanent things that we can give thanks for. Not many, are there? But there are some. Some magnificent reasons for giving thanks. Some eternal reasons for giving thanks. For which we will always be giving thanks, now and forevermore. Amen!

For the sovereignty of the Father who loves us. For the grace of the Son who gave Himself for us. For the empowering of the Spirit who binds us all in koinonia. We give thanks!

For our time here that is short. And for our future there that is eternal. We give thanks!

Nevertheless, despite the fleeting temporariness of this life’s pleasures, thanks we must give, even for today’s transient and temporal joys. Even for the smiles streaked with tears.

For the impermanent things we experience here, are nothing but the glimmers of the permanent things we will enjoy forever! Grace that breaks through the dark clouds that often gray the skies of our lives. Glimpses of glory irrupting into the gloom. Rumors of Another World, as Philip Yancey titled his latest offering.

The foreshadowing of the abundant and overflowing. The adumbration of the bliss of fellowship. The preview of things to come. The trailer of our inheritance ….

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ …,
to obtain an inheritance
which is imperishable and undefiled
and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you
who are protected by the power of God ….
through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice,
even though now for a little while, …
you have been distressed by various trials ….

1 Peter 1:3–5 (NASB)

Let’s always—always—be thankful for God’s blessings that bespeak a glory to come, far beyond compare.

Postscript: Another “dawg,” scheduled to finish his Ph.D. next month, donated his car to me last week. For free! A ’92 Volkswagen Golf. (See picture: Das ist ein anderes gutes deutsches Auto!) A car that had been bestowed upon him by another canine several years ago! And so the blessings continue. He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

Thank You!