It’s time to gather around the table with family and friends, enjoying tender turkey, rich stuffing and green bean casseroles. It’s time to winterize your home, for the cold winds will soon be blowing. It’s time for pumpkin aromas from the kitchen oven, the dinner table candle and the mug your hands. It’s time to pull out those turtlenecks and sweaters with brown and gold hues. It’s November and that means it’s time for Thanksgiving! (I won’t mention the rakes just yet!)
We all know we should be thankful all year round, but I’d like to focus in on this special holiday where giving thanks takes front and center! First up, God is the ONE to whom thanks is due for all we have. Being transparent with you, one huge challenge I have encountered in my understanding of giving thanks is when it feels like life is one struggle after another but somehow I’m supposed to keep going on and being thankful. In reading Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) again I am reminded, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Notice the pivotal word: THEN. The direction to “thank Him” comes with a promise. Wow! Eye opening! For years I hadn’t read it like that. Another often quoted verse is 1 Thes. 5:16-18 which says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Pivotal word of that verse: IN. Not “for” the circumstance, but “IN” the circumstance. Big difference. Gigantic actually. God is with me. I can pray. I can have joy. I can be thankful in the situation. These instructions are God’s way of putting his arm around my shoulder and telling me how to get through ANY situation.
We can always thank God for His unconditional love, His unbreakable promises, and His unending faithfulness. We are thankful for His omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence even though they are beyond our comprehension. Psalm 100:4-5 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” This stands in stark contrast to our “selfie” focused culture. The truth that God’s character never changes is a cornerstone we can build on lives on and perhaps is where thankfulness begins.
Since you’re still reading, I assume you’re looking for some new ideas. A creative new way to model and incorporate an attitude of gratitude at home with your family. Being intentional obviously made your list, so may I share some activities that might not have made your list. Okay, here goes! There’s always a need for families to volunteer at the local food pantry to organize items for Thanksgiving outreaches. Invite someone over for Thanksgiving who has no family around (or an “orphaned” college kid who can’t afford to go home). Take a meal (or a gift card) to a single mom to take some stress off her one night while the kids are home from school. Sit down together as a family and write random thank you notes to folks who did something nice for you in the past year.
Read together some beautifully illustrated children’s picture books about Thanksgiving, serious or silly. (I have lots of titles if you need them.) Start a gratitude journal where everyone at your Thanksgiving meal can jot down what they are thankful for. It can be added to each year or perhaps at any time of year. The richness is in reading it at other times of the year, bringing back the thankfulness of the season, the memories of the visitors, while encouraging members to always be on the lookout for things to be thankful for. Instead of traditional fare, make one favorite side dish of everyone at the meal, that’s a sure way to making each person feel special. Write your very own poem about the holiday and share it. And last, but not least, the idea we are going to incorporate this year, take a family photo! We do it for Christmas, so why not at Thanksgiving? Turkey optional!
Partnering thankfulness with special memories is what makes a lasting impression and that’s the legacy we want to pass on to our children. So, I thank you for reading this post and pray that the above mentioned scriptures and ideas will fill your heart to overflowing with thanks this Thanksgiving!
What brings thankfulness to your heart? What traditions do you have for Thanksgiving?
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