You wouldn’t think thankfulness would be tricky to come by.
You would assume it would be the easiest of attitudes and that a day of the
year set aside to offer ‘Thanksgiving’ would be terribly redundant and wholly unnecessary
because of our daily posture of gratitude.
I mean, we have so
much to be thankful for. Family and friends, food and shelter, careers and
hobbies, health and wealth—the list could go on and on. And as people of faith,
the most resounding reason for gratitude is nothing less than the saving work
of Jesus.
“…we
know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us
with Jesus…All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching
more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” 2
Corinthians 4:14-15
What better reason for gratitude could there be?! God is
redeeming and resurrecting us in the same way he did Jesus, and his unending grace
continues to pour into more and more people! If that doesn’t lead to thanksgiving, I’m not sure what would.
And yet we all-too-often live with unhealthy expectations and
a grandiose sense of entitlement—as if the blessings we get weren’t given, but earned; or like we deserve
what we have…and even more. We live in the richest country the world has ever
known, yet what we have is rarely enough and we seldom pause to give praise to
the one who provides it all. And even when we do pause for a day—or at least a moment at the dinner table—to give
thanks for what we have and celebrate that it’s enough, many of us spend the
next day shopping “Black Friday” sales for things we don’t really need.
It’s an insane way to
live, when you really stop to think about it.
So, let’s spend this week being grateful for the blessings
of our lives. Let’s gather with family and friends around the Thanksgiving
table to remember these blessings and give thanks. But let’s commit to being a
thankful people all the time, in all seasons, especially because of God’s grace
working in our lives and in so many lives around the world.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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