Everyday Thanksgiving
‘Tis the season to be thankful! You know, I am actually thankful for Thanksgiving! Living in the U.S., I think it’s amazing to have a national holiday set aside specifically for expressing gratitude. It almost seems countercultural in our consumer-driven world, and yet, there it is on the calendar! And alongside the feasting and football games, thankfulness is still the main focus of this day. Honestly, we can’t get away from it. It’s right there in the name: a day for giving thanks! A day to consider the people and the things that cause us to be most grateful. It’s an invitation to count our blessings.
Being thankful is the acknowledgment of what you already have; it comes from paying attention to what is already in your hand. This requires a sense of appreciation and a measure of contentment, which in turn help us to feel happier, more positive about our lives, and more compassionate toward others. Health professionals have even identified that being grateful helps to counteract a number of negative conditions such depression, anxiety, chronic pain and even some disease. So, not only is thankfulness a good exercise; it’s healthy for you, too!
In the Old Testament, we learn that the Levites were commissioned to assist the priests as they worshiped God. One of their daily assignments was to give Him thanks and praise. “They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening” (1 Chronicles 23:30). Everyday, they thanked Him. Morning and evening they gave Him thanks and praise. That puts our once-a-year Day of Thanksgiving to shame, for sure. Imagine practicing “Everyday Thanksgiving!”
I want to take up that challenge and live grateful every day, not just on the fourth Thursday in November! What would life be like if we carried our thankfulness into the next day or the next week? What if being thankful wasn’t assigned a certain day on the calendar, but filled all the days of all the year? Just think how this practice could change our outlook and impact our relationships!
Psalm 118:1 instructs us to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” We have countless things for which to be thankful, but even when we are struggling to think of them, still our God is good and His love for us endures forever and ever and ever. That in itself is a perfect starting point!
A Prayer
Lord God, thank You for everything You have done to bless me, to take care of me, and to love me. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like apart from You. Thank You! You are good, and Your love endures forever. I thank and praise You!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
