Has a Black Friday mindset robbed us of an opportunity to be truly thankful?

We'll take a look at that in a bit.

Welcome to the show.

I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for your Sunday morning drive.

The short podcast with the goal of providing some motivation, Dr.

and encouragement on your way to worship and helping you recenter your mind on.

Spiritual things.

On those hectic Sunday mornings, this time of year can be really hard on a lot of people.

So if there's someone that you know of this week that is alone, that is going to be by the themselves on Thanksgiving or need somewhere to go.

Why don't you invite them to sit around your table, fill their belly with some good food and take some time to be truly thankful.

Let's go ahead and get the show on the road today.

This is episode 84, freedom from want.

Let's go to church.

Are we there yet?

Well, Thanksgiving approaches and I sure hope that you have a joyous one, filled with family that truly cares and devoid of any of those petty squabbles that seem to separate so many of us.

I hope you have abundant food.

Plenty of.

Laughter.

Love.

And great memories.

In fact, I hope that your Thanksgiving is nothing short of Rockwellian.

And if you've never heard that term before, let me define it for you.

It means relating to or characteristic of the idealized yes, but also sentimental and realistic American life depicted in the artwork of Norman Rockwell.

Many times it describes scenes that are wholesome, everyday moments that often evoke the nostalgia for a simpler time.

And I understand that my younger audience may have never heard of Norman Rockwell.

So you'll find the painting I'm talking about LinkedIn, the show notes of today's episode.

The truly Rockwellian Thanksgiving is idealized in the painting that you may or may not be familiar with called Freedom from Want.

And that really embodies what Thanksgiving is all about, doesn't it?

That we are blessed that even with the meager things, we can be satisfied that we have what we really need, so we are free from the chains of want.

It's a nice notion, but at least in my experience, not always the case.

And that's a shame.

Because, friends, God has blessed us so, so richly.

And I love Thanksgiving, but I'm afflicted about the day after.

Black Friday.

Because more and more, it seems, the want of Black Friday encroaches on what is.

Supposed to be.

This yearly day of contentment, satisfaction and gratitude.

And my worry is that this also.

Deeply impacts.

Us spiritually, and I'll be the first to admit I've taken advantage of a Black Friday sailor too.

And on the surface, I don't think there's anything wrong with doing so.

But on another level, there's always something about its.

Juxta.

Position right after Thanksgiving Day, that's always felt.

Gross or?

Unsettling, or maybe even hypocritical is.

The way to put it, I'll give you a personal example.

I have distinct memories of years gone by.

Where the?

Turkey is still warm and the table is still cluttered, and instead of just enjoying the moment of being thankful, of being content, I remember myself and other family members would just bust out those Black Friday ads and start circling, looking for the deals, looking at the new and being filled by the want.

And looking back on it, it seems pretty devoid of gratitude.

Not exactly.

What is?

Depicted in Rockwell's Freedom from Want.

Especially when we.

Realize the.

Spiritual impact that this could and probably is having on us.

In the well loved 23rd Psalm, David says the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

God provides us with the rest, the guidance, the protection and sustenance that we really need.

And when we have His faithful care, what more could we possibly ask for?

But when we are ever seeking that next thing, or God forbid, cannot take even a day's breather to show him true Thanksgiving, what does that say about our trust and our appreciation in Him?

I've always loved what Paul has to say to the brethren in Thessalonica in First Thessalonians chapter 5 as he instructs them in Christian conduct.

He says the following in verses 16 through 18.

Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing in everything.

Give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

And many times we tend to focus on this in terms that prayer should be continual, but Paul's emphasis is much more about the mindset and the content of our prayers then on the ACT itself.

Pray continually, giving thanks.

Have a thankful heart continually.

Now I could very well be wrong, but this seems to imply more than just a passing thanks God and the spiritual equivalent of a high 5 on the way to seek out more or to indulge in extravagant abundance.

Right, Hebrews.

13 verse five really drives this thought home.

Make sure that your care is free from the love of money, being content with what you have.

For he himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.

Don't seek after greed.

Be content.

And what I love about this verse is that it seems to have something to say about what we should be content with.

God's faithfulness.

That's where contentment flows from.

That's what should compel us to Thanksgiving.

And I think that's worth more than a day, a year, and a rushed one at that.

Now look.

I'm not saying that if you enjoy getting out on Black Friday.

Or that if you get.

A rush from finding a good deal and taking advantage of some.

Lower prices.

That you are somehow in the wrong.

However, it is my plea that as we approach what has been a centuries old tradition of contentment and gratitude that we take the time to truly recognize how blessed we are by the Almighty and say thanks.

That we give thanks to the One who truly makes us free from want.

Or at least help clear the table before breaking out those ads.

Because showing our thanks to God in an honest way.

It's not just this sanitized Rockwellian idealism, but it's godly thanks given to a great God.

And that's worth the time it takes to do it right.

Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive.

Now it's time to hear yours.

Our discussion questions for this week are, are we truly thankful for what God has given us physically and spiritually?

What steps can we take to be true, truly content with what we have, And how can slowing down and savoring the blessings of God help us to lead a more thankful life?

Hey, I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving.

Spend it with some good friends and family, enjoy it, be thankful and I'll see you Sunday.