A friend of mine loves the ocean, but lives in the Midwest. Not being able to frequently visit the ocean, she instead imagines that over each horizon is the ocean. She knows it isn’t there. However, imagining the sand and the waves brings her joy and peace.
There is hope in believing that just beyond the horizon is something better. There is faith in believing that things will get better, even if circumstances state otherwise. There is faith in believing there is something better over a familiar horizon, even when you have been over that hill before.
As we approach the month of November, we turn our minds to Thanksgiving. A time of year where we pause to be grateful for what we have in our present, recall the goodness of God in the past, and find the faith to believe God’s goodness will continue into our futures.
Being thankful can be difficult. Many people will tell you the best way to be thankful is to focus on what you have. And this can be helpful. Perspective is a good tool. However, it is also possible for perspective to skew our outlook.
The well worn adage of “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet” can give us perspective, but it can also lead us to minimize our own problems. Having no shoes exposes your feet to the elements. Exposure to the elements may cause the development of frostbite. Frostbite left untreated can lead to the loss of ones feet. Soon enough, the one with no shoes can find themselves in the same position as the one with no feet.
This Thanksgiving each of us have something to be grateful for. This Thanksgiving each of us have something we wish were better. As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I pray that we can all find what we have to be grateful for. I pray that we have the faith to believe that what comes next will be even better. I pray that we all may know that the sand and waves of peace and joy are just over the horizon.
Serving God alongside all of you, just from further away
Jesse Letourneau
