Upheld In Chosen

Surprise

I slammed on my brakes while driving home after church a couple weeks ago.

I saw a peacock.

Then I saw another one, and more, and a whole flock! Colorful males and their brown peahens.

What’s so surprising is that these peacocks are living far from any natural habitat. My first thought was how do they survive the winter?

While I sat in my car—or chased them with my camera—none of those boys preened for me. Well, why should they? But I would have loved to see those tails fanned out. Maybe they were cold and kept their feathers close to their bodies.

Turkeys and Peacocks 

Now, turkeys ARE native here. I see them all over the hillside and their chicken scratchings in the snowfalls. It’s interesting that both male turkeys and peacocks fan out their tailfeathers to show off and attract mates. And their poor females are just brown, brown, brown. All the better to protect the offspring, right?

While turkeys are pretty yummy in the tummy, I read that in Medieval times, peacocks sat pretty hard in those tummies, if you could even eat them in the first place. Shudder here at the thought.

Having said all that, here we are about to celebrate another Thanksgiving. And another year nearing its end.

Chosen

I read in the Scriptures this morning that Jesus chooses us to know His Father. I don’t know why that never clicked with me before.

After all, the reason Jesus came to earth was to die and take our sins upon Himself. He raised Himself from the dead to infuse us with His life and open the way for us to spend eternity with Him and His Father.

Just think about it: Jesus chooses us to know His Father. He wants us to know His Father. He wants to take us home with Him to know His Father.

Thanksgiving

I can’t think of a better reason to give thanks. Jesus chooses us. To know His Father. And we are free to celebrate Him and His Father around the table with the big, fat turkey on it (guess who really provided that feast?). We celebrate with family, friends, or anywhere. The Truth is and will always be that Jesus loves us. And all things come from His Father. Who loves us.

Jesus chooses us to know His Father.

We give our God thanks and praise.

And celebrate.

“All things have been committed to Me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27).