Black Friday

My understanding of the meaning of the term “Black Friday” is that it stems from the belief (or statistical research) in the retail business, that if the business does well on that day, they will have a positive bottom line at the end of their fiscal year.  Therefore accounting wise, they will be in the “black” instead of in the “red.”  With that insight, you can have a better understanding as to the huge effort that stores will put out in order to pursue your business on that day.  It seems that they push the opening for sales on that day earlier and earlier into the morning hours.  In fact this year, many stores even opened late last night so that they could be first on your shopping list!

Isn’t it reassuring to know that our loving heavenly Father does not put all of His emphasis for His Love and His promises on one day of the year!  Isn't it great to have the assurance that everyday can be a “Black Friday” for us.  Each new day can be the time to take advantage of His special offerings of love, grace, strength, wisdom and forgiveness!  And if your miss or mess up on any of His special offerings, you always have a fresh and new opportunity the next day!

It is interesting to note that in declaring that “nothing can ever separate us from God’s love,” (Gods Word ©) the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38 specifically speaks only of things in the present and the future.  He neglects to mention our past. Why?  Because our past problems and/or sins are forgiven and forgotten.  I vividly remember a conversation that I had this last year with our youngest son Jeremy.  We were discussing this subject when he mentioned that “yesterday is also part of our past!”  Most times we tend to think of our past as what we did years ago, but it also includes what we did as recent as the previous day.

That brings the thought of everyday being a new opportunity to be right with God and walk with a fresh and new way within the standards of His abundant life to an even greater light!  You see, we don’t have to put all of our hope into one day of the year.  We can have God’s best everyday of the year! 

I just had a thought about all the buzz and excitement that used to prevail at the Home Depot store in Oklahoma that I worked at on the night before Thanksgiving.  Since Thanksgiving was one of the two days a year that they were closed, we had to be ready for the Black Friday event before we left on Wednesday night.  As soon as the store was closed for the night my receiving and freight team and I would quickly endeavor to take down all the special stock that had been coming in during the previous months. The air was filled with the sounds of beeping from the electric fork lifts, the clatter of the pallet jacks as the department supervisors moved the merchandise to displays in and around their respective departments, and the chatter that flowed from the walkie-talkies as management coordinated the overall display plan.  This activity would usually go on into the wee hours of the morning, but by the time we all left, the aisles were filled with mountains of brightly displayed merchandise, all ready for the enthusiastic hordes that would line up on Friday morning.

You know what?  That’s a great example of the mountains of blessings that are ready and waiting in the aisles of our hearts each new day!  But while this is comparable to “Black Friday,” I think that it would be better for us to think of His daily blessings as a “Bright Friday,” or that each day brings along with it, a bright new opportunity for His abundant blessings for us… and then for us to share with those around us! 

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What Fresh New Blessings am I expecting today?”