To have a day set aside
for giving thanks is really great! This
year, on Thanksgiving Day, I spent some time thanking the Lord for things He
has done in my life. We thanked Him
together, publicly for the food and friends and the day we could share. But
this year, my personal thanks giving had a couple of add-ons.
First, I was made aware
of a host of things to be thankful for.
Many of these are things I often take for granted. A kitchen mishap took my husband and son on a
trip to the emergency room. A slicer had
gotten a piece of finger. We knew the
cut was not deep enough to have harmed the tendons, but there was a lot of
blood and we were not sure if the skin could or should be reattached.
As they drove off, I
found myself thanking God for both of them; a car to drive; good roads; a hospital to go to; doctors and
staff to care for them when they arrived; God’s healing power…The list went
on. Moments earlier, I had not even
considered these things in what I was thankful for this day. But they had become the focal points of what
I was verbally thanking God for in that moment.
It turned out that wound had not been deep enough to reattach the
skin. In time, God’s design for the body
will cause the skin to grow back. (Another reason to give thanks) After stopping the bleeding, which took a bit
more effort, they were on their way home.
I thanked and praised the Lord that it had not been more serious.
The other addition to my
giving thanks this year was that God had me write a thank you a note to each
person who was to be at our home. It was
a practical way to turn being thankful into giving thanks. I so love these people. They know that from my words and actions. Yet
this was so simple to do, and it greatly touched those who received it. That makes me want to do this more often and for
more people I care about.
I had already known I
would be writing this post about thanks living.
My experiences today simply changed how I would express the
concept. Thanksgiving, a special day to
consider and to give thanks, although great, is not enough. The Bible states, “Thank [God] in
everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks],
for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and
Mediator of that will].” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV) This verse says so much. We are to thank God in all things, the good
and bad. We are to both feel thankful
and express it. All this is His will and
Jesus gave a great example. Thanking the
Father was a natural part of His life. I
am sure he still does as He intercedes for us.
We are also to thank God
for who He is. And we are to let others
know about Him, both who He is and what He does. “Give
thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness.
Let the whole world know what He has done,” (1Chronicles 16:8 ESV) The Psalms are full of expressions of
gratitude for the mighty attributes and deeds of the Lord. We can read and share these thoughts. Better yet, we can tell of how wonderful He
is to us.
We can also thank God
frequently for those He has placed in our lives. This was Paul’s habit and he frequently noted
this in his letters. To the church in
Ephesus he wrote, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers,” (Ephesians 1:16 ESV) He wrote similar greetings to several other
churches. I think he probably expressed
this same sentiment verbally to those around him daily. We should too. Telling someone you appreciate them may be
that timely word that really encourages him or her just when needed most.
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