Hello Unity Friends,
Can you believe that Thanksgiving Day is landing in our
lives next week? My internal calendar
clock tells me that Thanksgiving should be at least another 2 weeks away.
Growing up Canadian, this is by far my favorite US Holiday. America knows how to celebrate being
thankful! And that added day of Friday
was a brilliant move by the founding father or president who made that
decision.
A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary called The 4th World, written and produced
by Unity parent Mark Volkers. In this
documentary Mark introduces viewers to a growing population of people in our
world who live in what is known as the 4th World. These people live in
tin shacks, under bridges, work in garbage dumps, peddle on street corners and
earn pennies a day. The documentary has
affected my thinking greatly.
When I contrast that documentary to my living conditions, I
am speechless. I don’t get why some
people live under bridges while others like myself, get to live in a country
and culture that might just be the most prosperous of any other place in the
world ever. I have vowed never again to
complain about leftovers, my old car or my not-so-new house.
For me being thankful is one of the best ways to grow closer
in my relationship to God. Maybe God
wants us to recognize that the chasing after the things of this world will
never bring us true joy and peace. Our
desire to acquire the latest tech gadgets, cars, homes and toys will never
bring us true joy and satisfaction. These things will rust, spoil and fade away.
Perhaps God wants us
to be most thankful for our salvation in Christ alone.
This piece of art captures what I am most thankful
about. It is a depiction of the story of
the Prodigal Son. This story belongs to
us all in many ways.
For when we realize
that chasing after the things of this world, leaves us defeated and destitute,
we are still welcome home, into the embrace of our Father God. Notice in the painting how the Father is
running down the driveway to greet the returning son, who blew his
inheritance. We serve a God who runs to us! What love !
May the grace of God and his amazing love, fill our hearts
with thanksgiving and praise!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Mr. Dykstra
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