Ah, the aroma of roast turkey wafting from the kitchen, the gathering of family to feast together … Thanksgiving, the time when hopefully we give thanks for all the good gifts we have received.
Sometimes people talk about being thankful, but without any mention of God. They may feel a vague sense of gratefulness, a generic gratitude for the good things in their life… but to whom? To a force? To circumstance? To the man on the moon?
It doesn’t really make sense to be thankful if there is no object for your thankfulness.
Imagine you purchase a nice gift to give me on my birthday and you come to my party. I open your thoughtful present and say, “Wow, this is really nice. I was really hoping for one of these. I feel really thankful that I got this.” I never look at you, acknowledge you, or personally thank you. I just state that I feel thankful for what was given me. How would you feel?
When we talk about being thankful, and even count our blessings around the table — yet fail to directly, personally, humbly and publicly express thanks to God — how does He feel?
God is a personal God who has done personal things for each of us. He is the object of our gratitude.
So how do we do thank Him in a way that includes, honors, and pleases Him? How do we ensure that our Thanksgiving really is about giving Him thanks?
- Be intentional. Think ahead and be ready to share some of the things God has done for you over the last year. Ask others at your gathering to prepare to do the same.
- Be relaxed. Plan to spend some time sharing without feeling like you are squeezing this in. Take at least a half hour, maybe between dinner and dessert.
- Be specific. Sometimes the smallest blessings, once acknowledged, open up a wellspring of gratitude. Kids can be a big help when they share their perspective.
- Be creative. Most of us will readily give thanks for our family, our comforts, and things that have gone well. How about what God has taught you this year? Areas of spiritual growth? How has He stretched and changed you, or helped you endure hardship?
If you and your family haven’t developed a tradition of stopping to reflect together on what God has done for you in the past year, this Thanksgiving is a great time to start. Give Him your focused gratitude, time, and attention.
Let thankfulness, not turkey or pumpkin pie, be the centerpiece of your celebration – and Thanksgiving will come alive with meaning.
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