Thanksgiving by Marty A. of USA

Thanksgiving

Life, as we all know, can be hard. It can be painful, it can hurt, and it can be discouraging. It is at those moments we are likely to forget to be thankful, and yet, again and again, the Bible tells us to be thankful. The idea of being thankful comes up at least 71 times in The New Testament. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Note that he said, “in everything give thanks” But in order to be thankful we have to be conscious of things for which we should give praise. There is an old hymn that goes “Count your many blessings, Name them one by one, And it will surprise you, What the Lord has done.” It is easy to overlook the small things for which we should give thanks. Do we have shelter? Do we have food? Do we have the capacity to work? Do we have friends and family? Do we see the beauty in the clouds and stars and the natural things around us? These are the good things which we should be thankful for. What about the pain, the hurt or the physical or mental suffering we have? I believe that those things serve a higher purpose, those things are the refiners fire, to bring about good qualities in us and to purge us of our faults. But even in those times, we still can find good and remember to thank our Creator for the life and breath we have to serve Him, and in the pain, to thank Him that we are counted worthy to be “refined”.

Today, find as many things as you can be to be thankful. Let your day be filled with thanksgiving towards God, name big and little blessings to Him. Maybe you will be surprised by how many things you have to be thankful for!

Pray that the Lord will help you see the blessings you have in your life, and to open your eyes and heart to all the good things around you that you can give praise to Him.