A Season of Gratitude

There’s a beautiful verse in Ecclesiastes 3, of which verse 1 is perhaps the most often quoted:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

What follows this verse is a series of contrasts which illustrate this truth. But as we enter the week of our American holiday of Thanksgiving, I am reminded how blessed I am to live in a nation that has set aside a day simply for the purpose of giving thanks to God.

Nowadays, that purpose has largely been forgotten, and even among Christians, the temptation is strong to rush through the day, our minds filled with thoughts of food or football or family drama.

We might get so caught up in our irritation at that one family member who decides to rearrange every piece of furniture right before the guests arrive, or our distress at a recipe that just didn’t work out or a turkey that isn’t cooked in the middle that we completely forget what the day is for. So let me issue a challenge:

Start your Thanksgiving Day with praise.

Whether you are getting up early and heading into the kitchen for a long day of cooking, or spending the morning driving “over the river and through the woods” with a carful of crabby kids, or even if you’re spending the day alone, take time to truly give thanks to God.

Make the effort to get up extra early and spend time with God, not asking for anything—at least for the first few minutes—just praising God.  After all, there is plenty to thank God for!

And then, as you go through your day, keep thanking God. When the family member starts rearranging furniture, thank God that you have that family member, and furniture to rearrange.

Thank Him that you have a turkey to cook, and dishes to put on the table, and plentiful water to wash your dishes in.  And when you spot that empty chair at the table and your heart fills with longing for those who won’t be there, thank God for the years before the chair was vacant.

Whatever distractions, worries, or heartaches surface throughout the day, find a way to turn them into thanksgiving. Cast those cares upon God, and thank Him for caring for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

This is a challenge for Thanksgiving Day, but perhaps God will use it to help you fulfill the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

For the Christian, thanksgiving should be a way of life, not just the name of a day spent cooking and eating. But thankfulness isn’t our default state of mind. We must train our hearts and minds to choose to give thanks instead of grumbling.

We have been given a season for gratefulness—may we choose to spend it giving thanks to God!

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20