November. The month of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.
Traditionally, it’s been a time to count our blessings, to reflect on the good in life, to turn to God in gratitude.
I hope we, collectively, can do so.
It’ll be tough for a lot of people. These days, across the cultural and political divides, so many people live in angst.
In fact, angst and anger are sort of the defining characteristics of many folks.
Some are mad that the last administration opened the borders, allowing millions of undocumented people to circumvent the orderly system of immigration, impacting the job market and raising security and possible terrorism concerns.
Standing across from these folks are those who support the influx and seethe at the new administration’s efforts to round up and deport these folks. Some are angry enough to risk prison disrupting federal law enforcement efforts.
Some blame their life’s difficulties on systemic racism, and other discrimination, and angrily see themselves as victims of “the man,” an innocuous, wispy personification of the hateful victimizer setting pitfalls and hurdles in their path.
Others rail against this position, saying everyone has challenges, and folks should “quit whining and put your shoulder to the wheel.” The more they hear folks feeling victimized, the more callous and irate at a perceived accusation they feel directed at them.
And there are dozens of other ways folks walk around vexed and tied in knots of seething ire.
In this roiling atmosphere, stopping to count our blessings is difficult, but it’s also essential.
Starting each day by thanking God for the good things in our lives is a surefire way to turn down the internal temperature and level our perspective.
The key lies in wanting to do so.
Too many folks are invested in their misery, their anger, their desire to lash out.
This, perhaps, was a healthy stance at the founding of the nation, when it could be channeled into the necessary moxie to fight against the world’s best military for independence.
Now it saddles folk’s minds with cyclical misery. Sure, it can send us into the streets to rail against perceived wrongs, and I’d never impugn peaceful protests, but it can also overburden us with misery, making it hard to function or enjoy our lives.
I hope people can take a step back, draw some deep breaths of crisp autumn air, and truly focus on recognizing and celebrating the blessings which abound all around them.
We’ll all find our minds less burdened and our step a bit lighter if we do so.
Rev. James Hogan is a native of Stowe Township and serves as pastor of Faithbridge Community Church.
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