Red Carpet Gutter Nominations for Thanksgiving

Artist Mark Jenkins has made a very simple statement here about the value placed in our fellow human beings.


I suppose it could represent the non-corporate bail-out plan in place for the last decade of politics in many parts of the world. If you are not at the head of a corporation big enough to be invited when your government is making budget plans for the coming years, you may qualify for "The Red Carpet Gutter Nominations." If nominated you too could be on the "Fast Track" for the exciting new titles of the decade, like "Loser" or "Trash," some may even go as far as to name you a "Waste of Space" or "Burden of Society" if your cup has run empty. 


Maybe, if we all treated everybody according to their God-given potential, viewed people as who they might rise to be if given half a chance and we could all hold our heads up with dignity, facing each other again--without shame.


Wars, suffering, injustice and misery are not all indicators that God is an immortal God or a cruel and imperfect God with shortcomings but rather that we have been given the freedom and choice to act on the needs of our fellow human beings. Everybody helping everybody may seem a simple matter, yet people suffer and die all around us every day of the year.


Thanksgiving is a good opportunity to remember that God is the provider of all the good in our lives and we should recognize this by responding with thanks and gratitude in our personal prayers. But, blessings are not just for us to enjoy by ourselves, there is a great deal of happiness and joy to be found in showing compassion and helping others. In helping others we also help ourselves and it's difficult to remain depressed and worrying about material matters, if constantly surrounded by the gratitude, joy and happiness of those you've kept from falling and those whose sufferings you've eased.


When you lend a shoulder to keep someone from falling, suffering, pain and even agony, you not only spare them the scrapes and bruises but you also warm and strengthen their heart and resolve. We are all our brothers keeper--and they are ours. All is well when we remember just that.