THANKFULNESS IS… (Pt.1)

Do you remember your first encounter with Charles Shultz’s Peanuts characters? Mine occurred in October of 1966 with It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. After that, I couldn’t get enough of these characters – their insecurities, precociousness, and honesty.

As I thought of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and how many years we’ve been blessed to enjoy this tradition, “happiness is” (one of my favorite sentence openers by Charles Shultz) burst to the forefront of my mind.

Yet, when we look at the Peanuts characters, it isn’t their happiness that makes them so likable. Relatable. It’s the flaws embedded in their personalities.

Charlie Brown needs to put a nickel in his friend Lucy’s can to talk with her, to share his concerns. Jesus is available 24/7, always willing to hear what’s on our hearts, and loves us unconditionally. He’s already paid the price.

Though Lucy is a natural leader, her desire to impress others and gain their attention exposes her insincerity, especially when it comes to Schroeder. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. People gravitated to Him, He didn’t seek their acclaim. He freely gave of Himself.

Linus’s need for a blanket endears him to us. There are few things as comforting as a warm blanket on a wintry night.  If we’re honest, we never outgrow the need for security and comfort. After all, isn’t that what hugs are all about? We long to be wrapped up in a blanket of acceptance, love, belonging. Everything Jesus offers.

Charles “Sparky” Schultz understood each of these characters because somewhere inside him, he was each of them. A devoted Christian at the outset, Sparky set out to include faith in his comic strips. For example, in 1963, when America debated the role of religion in schools, Sparky had Lucy end the Pledge of Allegiance with “Amen.”

For several decades, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired Thanksgiving night–a prelude to the Christmas season. In my humble opinion, it was and should be that way because thanksgiving is embedded in the spirit of Christmas.

Thankfulness is … giving thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!

Written by eMarie

To leave a comment, please click on the title above, “Thankfulness Is… (Pt.1)” and scroll down. Thank you for subscribing to this website and for sharing it with friends.

Also, check out the A Snowflake’s Adventure page on this site.

500 books have been sent to OCC/SP but we need your help to sell more than 260 books! Thank you for purchasing and leaving a review on Amazon! I appreciate you!