As we enter into this season of heartfelt love and joy, a multitude of issues and concerns that are global in nature confront us; war, the economy, recession leading to a possible depression, unprecedented job layoffs and an unstable and unpredictable world market causing stress, doubt and fear. In the midst of these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, as the church, we have a God who is greater than our circumstances. As we contemplate those issues that cause grief and fear, it is good to know that in spite how things look or seem, God has already blessed us and God will continue to bless us in the future. In times like these, we need to lean and depend on Christ our Savior, and we need to give thanks unto God for what we do have; after all, without God, things would be exponentially problematic. In times like these, we must confirm, “attitude is everything.” Well, it is no different when it comes to thanksgiving and giving thanks. The attitude we carry with us through life is of paramount importance if we are truly to live lives that demonstrate our gratitude towards God for God’s movement in our lives.
Perhaps you are not feeling too blessed during this season. Maybe you cannot see the gifts that God has given you. Maybe the pain of life has overwhelmed you to the point where you do not see anymore how blessed you truly are. Like so many people today, maybe you have been so blessed and favored, that even those blessings do not look very good anymore. How, then, can we overcome our mindset of apathy and move towards a true spirit of thanksgiving in a culture that teaches us to enter into the rat-race and compete for status with a world of un-thankful people.
I think we need to recognize the blessing of God in all of their many manifestations and give thanks to God even when it seems impossible to do so. We must make an effort to recognize the blessings we have systematically taken for granted. Next, we must focus on what we do have rather than on what we do not have, and see if it does not improve our attitude.
What else can we do? We can thankful that we do not already have everything we want. If we did, what would there be to look forward to? We can be thankful when we do not know something; this gives us the opportunity to learn. We can be thankful for the difficult times. During these times, we grow. We can be thankful for our limitations, because they give us opportunities for improvement. We can be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build strength and character. We can be thankful for our mistakes. They will teach us valuable lessons. Finally, we can be thankful when we are tired and weary, because it means we have made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things. However, a life of true fulfillment can come to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. As hard as it may be, we must find a way to be thankful for our troubles, and when we do, they can become our blessings.
As we look around us at the land of plenty that we live in, it is my prayer that we will see through new eyes each day the ways that God has blessed us and never take God or those blessings for granted. This year, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, may we each see God for who God really is and see ourselves for who we really are: People who have been blessed beyond measure and people who NEED to give thanks to the giver of every good and perfect gift. We have been given the bread of life, we know this bread and have had our only lasting hunger sated, may we now be truly thankful to God who deserves our thanksgiving!
