Trending
We're now coming into the Fall season. The summer vacations are over, our youth are back to school and we think of what's next on our family calendars. Labor Day weekend is often seen as the end of summer, and I always feel like this is the perfect time to celebrate Grandparent's Day.
Since 1978, the first Sunday after Labor Day has been designated in our country as Grandparents Day. It was actually first celebrated in Poland in 1965.
Tomorrow, we think of our grandparents with thanks and love in our hearts. I say it's the perfect time for this celebration, because many of us have turned to grandparents over the summer as auxiliary day care, vacation hosts or companions in our summer adventures. Summer is a time when we often spend more time with them... Now, it's time to thank them for who they are.
The idea of thanking someone who means a lot to us began with God. We have thanked and praised God since the very beginning.
In Psalm 146 we hear verse 2... "I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being."... There is so much that God does for us each and every day. From providing all that we need to live, to just always being there for us to turn to for guidance and strength. Giving praise and thanks also not only does good for the receiver, but also for us. That's because when we give thanks for something, we're focusing on something positive. At the same time, we're also setting aside negativity.
This is a world filled with negativity. It can sometimes seem to be a struggle to find anything positive. When you feel this struggle yourself, try giving thanks to someone or praising someone. You'll be focused on something good that this person did that makes this world a bit better. You'll also find that negativity is pushed aside for the moment.
When God taught us to give thanks, believers saw this as a positive experience in their lives. We know this because of the effort and desire shown by these people to do so. We should feel the same way. Giving thanks and praise should be a commonplace way to battle negativity, and it can be done immediately.
So, when you think of how to celebrate and give thanks and praise to the grandparents in your lives, consider offering to go with them to church tomorrow. If you are grandparents, invite your family to go with you to worship. We had a church member ask for just one present for his 90th birthday... for his family to go to church with him. They did, and it was a wonderful experience for both his family and our congregation. For a day in our lives, positivity was all around us.
May God's peace and comfort be with us all. Amen.
-- -- -- --
Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week's column comes from Pastor Gary Shumway of Garman Lutheran Church in Pine Creek and Grace Lutheran Church in Jersey Shore.