What We Have Lost...and Gained
November 24, 2009
I always find it fascinating to see how secular journalists deal with matters of the soul and heart. At the heart of it, that's what this economic tsunami is all about-the heart of a nation, the soul of families, our values and guiding principles. Here's a paragraph from a Time magazine article by Nancy Gibbs entitled "Thrift Nation":
No one wishes for hardship. But as we pick through the economic rubble, we may find that our riches have buried our treasures. Money does not buy happiness; Scripture asserts this, research confirms it. Studies find that a millionaire is no more likely to be happy than someone earning one-twentieth as much. Now, a third of the people polled say they are spending more time with family and friends, and nearly four times as many people say their relations with their kids have gotten better during the crisis than say they have gotten worse.
A consumer culture invites us to want more than we can ever have; a culture of thrift invites us to be grateful for whatever we can get. So we pass the time by tending our gardens and patching our safety nets and debating whether, years from now, this season will be remembered for what we lost, or all that we found.
("Thrift Nation", Time, April 17, 2009, page 23)
For Thanksgiving 2009, perhaps we have more reasons to give thanks than ever before, celebrating what we have found in this year, not just what we have lost.
Advent breaks in immediately after Thanksgiving. On Sunday we light the first candle and claim the gift of hope in the promise of the Christ. Join us for the journey toward Bethlehem.with gratitude and thanksgiving.
Blessings of the season,
Jack Harnish
