The Giving of Thanks

The national day of Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. The days leading up to it are filled with planning, making grocery lists, cleaning, shopping, and travelling. Many will be gathering around a table on Thursday and eating copious amounts of food. In our family, the meal is usually the same each year and often the only time we cook candied yams, grandma’s cranberry salad, and a large turkey. Before the meal, some will hastily say thanks to God or incorporate some version of “what are we thankful for” before digging in. Others will skip what they feel are trite phrases and simply eat, laugh, and spend time with loved ones. Still others merely look at the meal as a prelude to Black Friday shopping.

Whatever your tradition, it is a good exercise to take a moment to pause and reflect. While I do not stop and ponder my blessings often enough, it is easy for me to be thankful for the blessings in my life. It is natural for me to say “thank you” when good things come my way. The feeling of gratitude wells up within me when I receive a gift, a compliment, an advancement, or a windfall. However, when I experience something painful, that feeling of gratitude does not naturally bubble up to the surface. Instead, I feel loss, hurt, frustration, jealousy, dissatisfaction…the list could go on and on.

Scripture is clear, though, that I am to give thanks in all circumstances. All–not just the “good.” (1 Thess. 5:18). My natural inclination when I read or hear those words is to manufacturer a feeling of thankfulness through sheer determination and force of will (which often doesn’t work for me, by the way, but I still keep trying.) However, if I back up a few verses, I see that “rejoicing always” (5:16) and “praying without ceasing” (5:17) come before giving thanks. Normally, I get it backwards, though. Instead of rejoicing and praying, I head straight to the “thanksgiving” and then wonder why giving thanks does not flow naturally in all circumstances.

Even before the rejoicing and praying, though, I must get straight to Whom I rejoice, pray, and give thanks and why. (Ps. 118:29). Just “being thankful” isn’t enough. First and foremost, I must give thanks to the Lord. Why? Because He is Good (and much more beyond what a simple blog post could convey). If I do not believe that He is Good, then there is no reason to give Him thanks, especially when circumstances don’t feel very great. I must first trust that His love is steadfast (unwavering and never-changing) and that His love endures forever.

Once I cement that in my heart and mind, I can rejoice in the Lord. I can ultimately find my joy in Christ alone. If I find my joy in anything else besides God—for instance, my circumstances or the people and family around me—then my joy will be fleeting. Only God Himself can withstand the pressure and scrutiny of all my hopes, questions, and needs.  Consistent and persistent prayer connects my joy in the Lord to thanksgiving and allows me to give thanks in all circumstances.

So, as I prepare my heart this week leading up to Thanksgiving, I’m attempting to focus on the Goodness of God and His great love for me. I’m seeking to find my joy in Him and Him alone. I’m praying for His peace and priorities instead of my lengthy To Do list, and then, hopefully, I will have the right heart posture to give thanks in all circumstances. I’ll be able to give thanks whether the meal is fantastic or the turkey is dry, whether the kids all get along or fight nonstop, whether there is wonderful conversation or tension due to past hurts or philosophical differences, and whether all my loved ones are surrounding me or some are missing due to loss or simple distance.

I hope you will join me in giving thanks on this day of Thanksgiving and all year long. Not only because God is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving, but because giving thanks realigns our souls to Him—the Giver of Life—and provides us great joy!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 118:29