There is much to be thankful for, but in a world of bountiful blessings it is easy to just focus our attention on the stuff we have or aspire to have. Thankfully, many of our things add immeasurably to the comforts of life, but there’s more.

A brief sojourn into the early part of the last century via a documentary on The Roosevelts recently reminded me of the breadth and depth of hardship during the dark days of the Great Depression. We do indeed have a good life. God has been good to our nation. But every economic crisis should serve to remind us of the real possibility that all this prosperity could vanish in a heart beat. If that happened, could you still be thankful?

Of course, every student of scripture has learned from our Savior that life is not about the abundance of one’s possessions (Luke 12:15). Things are only temporary, as is our earthly existence. That which transcends our material universe is describe by Jesus as life eternal and He is the Way one can acquire that life (John 14:6).

In this same verse Jesus also said that He is truth. But isn't truth an intangible, merely an antonym for falsehood? NO! Jesus was not speaking of a mere concept. He is the essence of all that is real and meaningful. HE IS TRUTH.

Because of who He is and what He did, He can be trusted. He is the great, eternal constant. He is the “...same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). In a secular world awash in uncertainty and untruthfulness, it is comforting to know that real truth exits and that it is liberating (John 8:32). This stupendous reality enables us to courageously and confidently affirm that “...The Lord is my helper; I will not fear…”. (Hebrews 13:6). If we knew nothing more about Him than this, our hearts should be erupting in thanksgiving.

As we pause this coming Thursday to celebrate a national holiday, let’s be especially mindful of the value of genuine truth. It is so easy to let our minds get swept up in the spirit of all the festivities, ball games, and black Friday and lose our perspective. Remember too, to “...look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Ken Dart