Our hearts and minds seem to be always turned to ‘thankfulness’ during this month.  Not that it’s the only time that we are thankful, but with such a wonderful family holiday, the ‘spirit of thanksgiving’ pervades.  We love sitting around a sumptuously spread table with all our traditional and favorite foods of the day.  I’m almost salivating now thinking of ‘the bird’, Fall/Winter vegetables, delicious cranberry sauce, coleslaw, and more – and for sure, saving room for the typical holiday pies.  For our family, those would include apple, pumpkin, and mincemeat, at least.

I’ve written in the past about some of my family’s Thanksgiving experiences, but this time it will be a little different subject – ‘being thankful for chastisement’. Because of Israel’s grieving/vexing the Holy One over and over, God: ‘removed Israel from His sight, rejected all the descendants of Israel/afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunders until He had cast them from His sight’.  –  II Kings 17:18-20.    ‘Because of Israel’s idols, God was furious, hated Israel and gave His people over to the sword’.  – Psalm 78:59-62.   “For the Lord will strike Israel, just as a reed sways in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim provoking the Lord to anger.  He will give up Israel because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which He misled Israel into sin.” – I Kings 14:15.16  Over and over and over God chastised, disciplined, and punished His chosen people and because of His love for them even used ungodly nations to chastise Israel – for their good – all to bring them back to Himself.

On a more personal note, when my youngest son was about fifteen years old, he shared ever so gently with me one day how he felt that I had been harsher in disciplining him compared to his two brothers.  I thought about it – and then told him that I thought he was right.  I related to him three of the ‘babies of the family’ in our extended family whom he knew well – and knew that they pretty much lived undisciplined lives, had never really succeeded at anything, and were, as grownups, still dependent on their parents from time to time.  I explained to my son that I had watched each of them being spoiled, barely corrected for wrong-doing, and given very little responsibility growing up.  I will never forget my son’s inciteful and amazing response to me – “Well, then I guess I should be very grateful to you, Mum.”  My other two sons may not have responded to me as graciously, but the answer given to me that day ‘sailing’ down 95 South on the way to his dentist appointment was THE answer we all should have to chastisement.

On an even more personal note, for me, chastisement from the Lord has not always been pleasant or easy, but I am so grateful that He loved me enough to ‘take me into tow’ for my wrong doings.  As a matter of fact, He has never let me ‘get away with anything’ – even when I wasn’t aware that I had done wrong.  I love the way Psalm 99.8 reads in the Message – ‘But You were never soft on their sins’.  At this Thanksgiving season, I have so very much to be thankful for and that includes my God’s loving me enough to correct/punish me and not be ‘soft on my sin’ when I need(ed) it – so as to not wander farther away from Him and His glorious love for me.  Thank You, Jesus!