When I think of black days in my life, I think of sadness, destruction and despair. Why would we as Americans call the day after we celebrate Thanksgiving “Black Friday”?
As I read in the dictionary the words “grateful” and “thankful” I do not read anything about darkness, but on the contrary about happiness, joy, appreciation and love for others.
Merriam Webster defines it this way:
Grateful – A feeling or showing appreciation for something done or received. The act of gratefulness is memorable and can live for a long time
Thankful – an appreciation of benefits received. It is a way of expressing appreciation with or without an act.
We live in a world full of hate, despair, ingratitude, sadness, loneliness. Through all these we are called to be grateful and thankful.
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
“Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His loving-kindness (graciousness, mercy, and compassion) endures forever” (Psalm 107:1 emphasis added)
“Thank God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
This year especially has been a tough one for our family during this thankful celebration. We have had death, sickness, separation, family problems and so on, as have so many others in the body of Christ. Yet we do not despair; we do not lose hope and we will not stop giving thanks.
When we praise the Lord, we take the eyes off our daily troubles and struggles and trust in Him who bore all the pain of Calvary to give us life. He died on the real Black Friday, when the dark sin of mankind was placed upon Him.
The fake and materialistic Black Friday is yet another futile attempt by the enemy to displace our desire to praise God on Thanksgiving Day. The real Black Friday not only displaced the power of sin and darkness, but destroyed it completely forever by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. The real Black Friday was not a one day sale, but it is an eternal fountain of Living Water from which God’s free and forgiving grace flows.
Brothers and sisters may all our days be as clear, bright and merry as Thanksgiving Day in November. May we always be grate (full) and thank (full) for we serve a Great God.
Alex and Mayra Gonzalez
