A Happy (And Thankful) Thanksgiving!
It has been a busy few months…so much has happened, and I have not stopped the clock long enough to write another blog. Sadly, as I went back through old posts, I realized my last blog was An Identity Crisis, after I was laid off from work. Rest assured I have not been wandering through the wilderness for the last 9-10 months—my wife would not allow that to happen! But, I am back in writing mode and happy to be back.
It’s Thanksgiving today—a time of family, friends, food, football, fun, and (more importantly, and in an unsuccessful attempt to continue the alliteration) reflection. Reflection should be for the purpose of giving thanks to God, and there is much to be thankful for.
A tradition that I always enjoy is having each person around the table state what he or she is thankful for. I always find it amusing (perhaps sad) when someone is up to bat, and he or she can’t provide an answer. I wonder: Is the tortured soul indecisive, unable to choose what to be thankful for? Or, perhaps the individual doesn’t find much importance in the request? After all, there are more important matters, and uncle so-and-so looks like he’s going for the last bit of sweet potato casserole. Or, maybe the silence is due to a lack of regularly engaging in the exercise? And, no, I am not referring to the series of strength, ab, and cardio workouts I will need to pursue to minimize my love handles. I am talking about regularly taking time to reflect on the blessings in your life.
In my experience, perhaps due to my competitive spirit, I always felt a quasi-competition with others at the table as to who gave the “best” answer…whatever that meant. There was a delicate balance: “I’m thankful for my family” was obvious and a throwaway answer; “I’m thankful for Mom and Dad” was just sucking-up. Perhaps the struggle dealt with the question that was posed—what are you most thankful for?
In search for the “big” items we are thankful for, we minimize the little ones. We should be thankful for everything large or small. Literally every person has thousands of things to thank God for—from the breath in their lungs to the warm light of the sun.
I learned of Brother Lawrence in law school. Brother Lawrence was a monk in a Carmelite monastery during the seventeenth century. During his time in the monastery, he was primarily tasked with working in the kitchen and repairing sandals. Despite his circumstances, Brother Lawrence developed a quiet faith, regularly focused on service to others and experiencing the presence of God. Part of experiencing the presence of God is thanking Him for every good and perfect gift, great or tiny.
In his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence offers this tidbit:
“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”
We should each take the time to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on us. As the Scriptures say over and over again: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” See 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1. Most importantly, take the time to thank God for who He is, and what He has done.
I thank God that He is eternal, holy, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, righteous, sovereign, immutable, and love, just to name a few of His attributes. I am also thankful that He sent His Son, Jesus, as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, so that we may be reconciled to Him.
Giving thanks should be a regular habit in our daily lives; it shouldn’t just take place once a year. I remember in South Carolina my grandparents had a framed sewing pattern in their downstairs bathroom that I would often look at. On it, there was the following verse (Psalm 100:4): “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Let that verse mark our daily lives.
Have a Happy (and Thankful) Thanksgiving!
Z. Montgomery