As we take a day off from our busy lives to gather with friends and family and celebrate this holiday we call Thanksgiving, a quick thought came to me that I felt I ought to share.
We know the things that we give thanks for: family and friends to share love with, food, a warm roof over our heads, the relative security of not having to worry where our next meal or shower is going to come from...the good. These are not universal, but are the vast majority in a society that has more abundance and wealth than many in the world know or have known; they basic things in life that no human being should be deprived of.
But, equally as importantly as what we are thankful for, there is the flipside. Thanksgiving is not just a day, it's both an attitude and an action. If it is an action, there must be an object of that action; something (or someone) to whom that thanksgiving is directed. I won't get too deep into it, but suffice it to say that our society that has been blessed with so much wealth, seems to be turning away from--or at least ambivalent to--the one who is the source of all wealth, love, truth goodness, and beauty. All of these are His; we are blessed with them, but in the end we are just custodians of these gifts, especially of love, and will be called to account how we used them.
So, as we pause to give thanks, let's be mindful of the One to whom we are ultimately thankful. This mindfulness and thankfulness is contagious, so let it flow like all of His blessings.
Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory. Before all the living, acknowledge the many good things he has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Before all men, honor and proclaim God's deeds, and do not be slack in praising him. (Tobit 12:6)
