Thanks Giving or Thanks Living? (11/29/13)

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 for which 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.

 So, thanks living is this.  Thank God, speak it out at all times, regardless of what is going on.  Thank Him for who He is and for His blessings.  Also let others know that you consider them among these blessings, and that you thank the Father for them.

 The Bible instructs us to, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6 ESV) I would like to add my thoughts to this.   “Let all your conversations be sprinkled with words of thanks, both to God and others.”  This habit will turn your thanks giving into thanks living.