Doorbuster

Hey, Cobblestone,

    Some years back, I moaned over the trend of more stores being open on Thanksgiving Day. My sister-in-law, Chris, had to work a full day at Wal-Mart that Thanksgiving. Had the Black Friday competition become so fierce that retailers wouldn’t risk people spending their money
somewhere else on Thursday? Well… yeah, it had. Most other workers got Thursday off – if
there wasn’t something more useful planned than going to Wal-Mart, why wouldn’t they? And
why wouldn’t retailers try to cash in on the lack of a better plan? On the strength of those two
rhetorical questions, the trend got its start.

    Continuing in our “Three R’s” series, it’s time to redeem thankfulness. Step One is to be grateful for what’s already underway. The trend is turning: some of the retailers who’ve made a big deal about being open on Thanksgiving the past several years are now making a big deal about not. One big-box place says it’s a “pandemic measure” – but hey, whatever works, right? This is our break, our one-day shot at considering gratitude over consumption – trusting the Lord that, if we don’t bust down a door somewhere tomorrow morning, we really will be OK.
So, the next question, utterly non-rhetorical, is: What will you be doing tomorrow that’s more
useful than going to Wal-Mart?

    In our Bible reading plan a few days ago, Psalm 126 was on the menu. Number 126 is one in a group of psalms called the “Songs of Ascent.” Israelites would sing these on their way to
Jerusalem for the set times of worship and feasting – think “Over the River and Through the
Woods” on steroids. They would start with a spark of gratitude, put it to music, and let it build.
Check this out:

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
    we are glad.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him (Psalm 126).

Laughter and joy… thanksgiving. There was weeping, then there was harvest… thanksgiving.
And I hope you didn’t miss it: it happened more than once. The singers tell of how God has
restored, then they implore the Lord to restore again, and have full confidence that the one
who has shown shall reap… over and over. It’s a cycle, guaranteeing a steady supply of chances to express gratitude. And if you’re a saved person, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, you have an eternal spark of gratitude – the Lord has done great things for you, indeed!

    “I will not fuss over what I can’t buy tomorrow. I will not fuss over what I can’t buy tomorrow.”
Say it to yourself as many times as necessary. And answer the question: What will I do
tomorrow that’s more useful than going to Wal-Mart?

    Hot Tip: Kay and I have discovered the drop-dead best time to go to Wal-Mart. If you’re into
avoiding the crowds and the discombobulated shelves, go during the Super Bowl. Yeah, while
the game is being played. The only trouble we have is finding an employee to take our money.
One year I thought about skipping it – handing over money for the merchandise, that is. I
figured it was the perfect time to load up a second cart and simply walk out. Thankfully,
according to his promise in 1Corinthians 10:13, the Lord did not allow me to be tempted
beyond what I could bear, and he provided a way of escape:

“Don’t do that.”

“Right, Lord, I hear you.”

    Chris won’t have to go to work tomorrow, and she’s glad (so am I). She does, however, have to be there at 4am on Black Friday, which is another flavor of insanity altogether. But, as Jesus
said, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34, King James Version). We’ll let it
slide for a while, maybe a whole year. Meanwhile, whaddya say about redeeming thankfulness,
contentment, and gratitude?

What’s your plan?

Grace and Peace (and a mouth filled with laughter),

John