Happy Thanksgiving? Maybe not so much.

Today's Precious Prodigal Post at = http://bit.ly/1vdLjKy Happy Thanksgiving? Maybe not so much. #BahHumbug #PassAroundTheProzac Please "Like" us and "Share" this post with your Facebook friends.

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful."

From the crisp autumn wind and crunch of fallen leaves to the smell of roasting turkey and Mom’s apple pie, everything seems to speak of a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving. Or does it? From all the advertisements on tv, one might think Thanksgiving is the happiest of holidays. But that isn’t the reality for many people.

Someone posted a meme on Facebook that said: “Thanksgiving: bringing out the best in family dysfunction since 1863.” And someone commented, “Not if you stuff the turkey with Prozac!” The holidays in general and Thanksgiving in particular don’t always bring out the best in people. So how can we keep from getting a terminal case of the mulligrubs during the holidays?

It isn’t easy to keep the past from intruding on the present. The people who abandoned or rejected us, the times we were hurt or disappointed, and the times we’ve sat alone waiting for the phone to ring…all those things sometimes tap us on the shoulder, reminding us that those memories are still there. And that’s particularly true when we’ve convinced ourselves that everyone else is having a wonderful time with their wonderful family.

The reality is probably closer to the meme I mentioned. Most families are not much different from yours and mine, and the idealistic families in the commercials just don’t exist. Life breaks people, and broken people limp along doing the best they can with what they have. That’s true of all families, and it’s silly to compare our lives with what we imagine are the lives of others.

But even if that Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving is their reality, it isn’t yours and mine. All the wishing in the world isn’t going to fix that broken relationship with your daughter or give you back what you’ve lost. However, when we focus on what we wish we had instead of being thankful for what we do have, we’re the source of our own misery.

I’m not trying to say our circumstances don’t hurt. Of course they do. I wanted that phone call that didn’t come. I was hurt by some unkind words and by the rejection that went along with them. I too wish I’d had healthy, stable parents. But I have what I have and so do you. I saw a plaque that says it perfectly: “So it isn’t ‘Home Sweet Home.’ Adjust!”

The simple answer, of course, is to focus on the things we do have to be thankful for. But, like most things, being simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. I think the answer can be found in our text verse. It begins with “letting the peace of God rule in your hearts…”

Making the choice to let that peace rule in my heart kept me from sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring. It kept me from retaliating against that “playground bully” with my own harsh words. It reminded me that my parents, like me, were broken people. More than any other thing, it gave me back my joy in a holiday that really was a “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, chose to let the peace of God rule in our hearts and decided to be thankful for what we have?