I had an experience one summer when I was on a mountain top with a
good friend of mine and my brother.  We had a few weeks when we
slipped away from work to go camping.  We had a beautiful view of the
surrounding area.  It was a beautiful day.  The air was fresh.  I was
in good company; and yet, it ranks among my most miserable
experiences.  In addition to the good company, and beautiful scenery
there were swarms of biting black flies.  There are many things that
we cherish about Thanksgiving.  I think of pumpkin pie, turkey and
stuffing, all of those wonderful foods.  With all of these nice things
it can be a little like being on that mountain top with nice
temperature, good company, clear skies, and swarms of flies.  There
may be an uneasy peace just barely held together.  Resentments may
simmer ready to be stoked back to life with the smallest of
conversations.  There are hurts that perhaps you bear on your heart
that will likely be irritated as the holidays approach.  There are
many approaches that people have used for dealing with this common
dynamic of strained relationships.  Some of these approaches are wise
some maybe less so.  As Christians we believe that Jesus Christ is
God.  God the Son entered the world.  It is because of this conviction
that we want to pattern our thinking and behavior on Jesus.  In Romans
5:8 the Apostle Paul reminds us, “..God shows his love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  In the midst of the
joys of the holidays there are often great hurts.  Let us address
these hurts after the pattern of the one in whom our hope rests.  God
did not wait for us to be loveable.  We love because he first loved
us.