Give Thanks

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, let’s all pause for a moment and reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. It should be easy to take a quick survey of our lives and see much that would produce gratitude, yet there are many who have been conditioned to only focus on what we don’t have or how things are not going our way. As followers of Jesus, thankfulness should permeate every thought and action--regardless of our circumstances. We have a relationship with God through Christ--this allows us to see every abundance and every lack, every joy and every difficulty, through the lens of God’s grace and care. In Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he writes:

1Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Is that something we really grasp? God’s will for us, in the sending of His Son, is our joy, dependence, and gratitude towards Him--in every situation. Thanksgiving cannot be relegated to the dinner table one day of the year. Rather, it should characterize our lives regardless of our current experience. Practicing gratitude (simply stopping throughout our day and thanking God for all He has done for us) allows us to take the focus off of ourselves and instead set our minds and hearts on Christ--what he has accomplished for us and what he promises to still do. We, as Christians, really do have much to be thankful for.

“Thanksgiving cannot be relegated to the dinner table one day of the year. Rather, it should characterize our lives regardless of our current experience.”