Happy Thanksgiving-y’all-(See the Duke Gardens Pictures below this post)
“O give thanks unto the Lord; call
upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing
psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.” (Psalms 105:1,2)
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for
he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalms 107:2)
Thanksgiving has got to be one of
my favorite holidays. It seems overshadowed and almost forgotten in all the
Christmas advertising, but I love it that the title of the holiday implies the
admonition to all to give thanks unto the Lord for his love and “his mercy
(which) endureth forever.”
The Bernhisel concept of
celebrating Thanksgiving is a little different. Instead of the pressed table
clothes; the seldomly seen silverware and the formal dinner, we would camp out
in tents by the beach in Florida and enjoy deep fried turkey along with our
smores by the campfire. It is our marvelous way to enjoy family and enjoy the
beautiful creations that the Lord has blessed us with and give thanks for the
simple things of life.
Now, I am not suggesting that the
Bernhisel Thanksgiving is the only way to celebrate and to give thanks (and
moms who read this, don’t give up on your homemade rolls and apple pies, which
sound great right now), but that we should daily, multiple times daily, pause
and thank the Lord for the tender mercies which we have been given.
Thomas S. Monson has said “Do we
remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks
not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.” (Ensign Nov
2010, 87) We find an example of giving thanks with the Lord Jesus Christ as “he
took the seven loaves and the fishes and gave thanks.” Observe how He rendered thanks and then a miracle followed as
4,000 were fed and “that was left [was] seven baskets full.” (see Matthew
15:32-38). Miracles happen by
“unlock[ing] the doors of heaven” as we give thanks and in the process,
it “helps us feel God’s love.”
What a blessing for us by simply recognizing the hand of the Lord in all the
things we see and do. President
Monson in the Ensign article quoted the English author Aldous Huxley-“Most
human beings have almost an infinite capacity for taking things for granted.”
We certainly should not take the things given to us by God, for granted.
What about the hard times and
challenges we all face?
Deiter F. Uchtdorf “It is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be
going our way. But what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be
far out of reach? We can choose to be grateful, no matter what. This type of
gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses
disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in
the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer. When
we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in
the midst of tribulation.” (April ’14
Gen. Conference ‘Grateful in any circumstances’)
Let me bear my testimony from
personal experience that this “gentle peace,” “my peace (that) I give unto
thee” (John 14:27) from the
attitude of gratefulness is so real and so consoling to give one not only
peace, but also trust in the Lord’s purpose and confidence in our purpose in
this mission of ours and in life.
I love you and never does a day go
by that I don’t thank Heavenly Father for you.
Love, Marc Bernhisel
