The Weekly Perspective
by Burke Shade, Assistant Pastor
Thanksgiving is usually considered a time of great
blessing, as it should be. But why is it a time of great
blessing? And what does it mean to give thanks?
To give thanks is to “express grateful feelings or thoughts to someone else; to show gratitude to another.” It is acknowledging that someone outside of yourself has contributed something of goodness or help to you.
That’s the tough part for most people; they don’t like to acknowledge they are indebted to someone else; that someone else helped them in a situation; that someone gave them something they needed. People don’t like to admit they were dependent on someone else! Thanksgiving is just that: an admittance that someone else gave you something you needed. It’s humbling!
Which shouldn’t be a problem for Christians! As the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4.7, “What do you have that you did not receive?” Of all people, we know that all we have is a gift of God, through and through, first to last, top to bottom. That’s the kind of gracious God we know and worship. “God so loved the world that he GAVE His only begotten son…” “In the beginning God created…” and then gave it all to man!
So this Thanksgiving, take time to give thanks. To express gratitude to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, your spouse, your children, your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your servants at the restaurant or store or wherever. And give thanks for everything (1 Timothy 4.4).
That should keep you busy all day this Thursday, at least, whether doing so in person, or in prayer!