The signs are everywhere. And they’ve been out for awhile now. Turkeys are available. Cranberries are in stores. Stuffing packets are on display. Pumpkin pies are on the menu. It’s Thanksgiving season. Families are making plans for the big day. So we must start being thankful for the year we’ve survived. Isn’t that what we’re being told? Eat these specific foods on the last Thursday of November and be thankful for it.
Be thankful for your family. Be thankful for your job. Be thankful for your health. Be thankful for your warm home. Be thankful for the food on your table. Be thankful for your freedom. Just be thankful.
Do we have to be reminded that we should be thankful? How do we prepare for thankfulness? What if we’ve had a rotten year? Should we still be thankful? People have lost their jobs. Many others have lost loved ones. Still others have received a devastating diagnosis or other bad news. Should they be thankful? Some people are working in stressful jobs. Others are working in jobs they hate. Some are just bored with their jobs. And many just want a job. Should they be thankful for that?
What if we just don’t feel like being thankful?
There are wars going on in different parts of the world. And our country seems determined to be involved. Inflation has been soaring for the last few years. Unemployment is making an impact on people’s lives. People complain about having to work in the office instead of remaining remote. We’re being told we’ll own nothing and be happy. Should we be thankful for that?
But now that we’ve covered the negativity, let’s reverse the conversation and look at what we do have to be thankful for.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Anyone reading this woke up this morning. You’re still alive. God knows the number of your days, and your number hasn’t been called yet. You still have work to accomplish on this earth. And even if you’ve received an unnerving diagnosis or had a recent health scare, the blood is still pumping in your veins. Even if your job is in a precarious spot, you still have a job.
We celebrated the changing of the seasons. The year started with winter and moved to spring. There we saw the trees bud and flowers bloom. We planted gardens and watched the vegetables grow. We mowed the lawn. We heard the thunderstorms, felt the raindrops and saw rainbows. As summer neared its end, the leaves began to turn to beautiful golds and reds. The leaves are still dropping as cooler temperatures make their way into our days. The days of sunlight are shorter, but they’re setting the stage for the cold and snowy winter that’s right around the corner.
We have to remember that the sun rose and set every single day. And it will continue to do so. The seasons will once again change. We’ll adjust to the temperatures and conditions this winter brings. We’ll slow down and drive carefully. We’ll stay indoors if weather patterns are ferocious. And we’ll survive it. Most of us, anyway.
We’ll begin our Christmas shopping and buy way more than is necessary. We’ll squeeze in as many of the holiday dinners and celebrations that our calendar allows. We’ll complain about all the sweets that we’ll eat and still eat them, anyway. We’ll hold family members close as we remember those no longer with us. We’ll plan for future holidays together. And life will go on.
Thankfulness is an attitude of the heart. We have a choice. To be thankful or not to be thankful. Jesus told us that we would have hard times in this world. If the apostle Paul learned to be content in any and every situation, can’t we? Are we content with what we have, or do we only focus on what we don’t have? Thankfulness is a choice. Contentment is a choice.
Too often, the only things we’re thankful for are tangibles. Things we can touch and taste and feel. We focus only on our feelings and experiences. Maybe it’s time to not only consider the creation, but the Creator. The One who set the moon and stars in place also set eternity in the hearts of all mankind. We are aware that there is something more than this earthly life. Something much more. And we have our Heavenly Father to thank for that. Just as the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything, God has appointed each season of our lives. Even if that season is difficult and demanding, we can be thankful for the peace that God gives.
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33
I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Philippians 4:11-12
We have much to be thankful for today. Let’s celebrate the goodness of God.
Mercy for the Day 