What sweet memories I have of Thanksgivings gone by!
The crackle of a fire in the fireplace. My mother’s white linen tablecloth spread across the dining room table. The smell of a turkey roasting in the oven. Pumpkin pies cooling on the countertop. My grandmother’s delicious cranberry recipe. Family gathered from near and far, filling the house with laughter, stories, and memories.
And, of course, there are those we miss deeply. Those who are no longer able to gather around the table with us.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is a beautiful reminder of how much we have been given and how appropriate it is to respond with gratitude.
Thankfulness is the only response.
I love knowing that people across our nation pause for a moment each year to remember their blessings and speak words of heartfelt gratitude.
But I want to remind you of something that God has been reminding me: Thanksgiving was never meant to be just one day on the calendar. It was always meant to be a way of life!
I don't know what your Thanksgiving table will look like this year or who will be gathered around it. But wherever you find yourself, I want to share three beautiful ways to make gratitude a daily part of your relationship with God.
1. Thanks-Speaking: Let Gratitude Become Your Native Language
Thanksgiving is one of the most beautiful ways we enter into the presence of our heavenly Father.
Psalm 100:4 reminds us:
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."
I love the way The Message paraphrases this passage. It describes thanksgiving as the password that welcomes us into God's presence: "Enter with the password: 'Thank you!' Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank Him. Worship Him."
What a beautiful picture!
Thanksgiving was never intended to be an annual celebration of pilgrims, pies, football, and stuffing. It was meant to be the natural expression of an intimate relationship between us and our generous heavenly Father.
As children of God, we have every reason to respond with gratitude. We are the recipients of blessings that come from Heaven itself, even when life feels like a wilderness.
The only possible response is, "Thanks, Dad!"
And we must not wait for a particular month or a special day to express our gratitude. We can speak words of thanksgiving every single day.
Thanks-speaking is the language of the Father's family. It is our native tongue!
We do not have to speak the language of complaining, the vocabulary of lack, or the dialect of constant frustration. We can learn to fill the dictionary of our hearts with words of gratitude.
I am thankful for my home, my family, and my work.
Father, thank You for food, for a warm home, and for the people who make me laugh.
Thank You for coffee, the giggle of a baby, and a good conversation with a friend.
Thank You for my church family, my Bible, worship music, and prayers that You have answered. And thank You for the prayers that You have answered differently than I expected.
Thank You for sunshine and snow, for spring flowers and autumn leaves.
Most of all, thank You for being my Father!
There is always something for which we can give thanks. Gratitude changes the language of our hearts and reminds us of the goodness of the One who has given us so much.
2. Thanks-Singing: Choose Joy in Every Season
Are you ready for another delightful discipline?
Thanks-singing is the joyful choice to praise God even when our circumstances are less than desirable.
If you wait until you feel like singing before you lift your voice, you may find yourself waiting a very long time!
Our feelings do not have to determine the frequency of our praise, the depth of our worship, or the strength of our faith. The song of our lives is not dependent upon everything going our way. It is born out of the Father's extraordinary love for us.
He loves me!
He loves me completely and unconditionally. He loves me extravagantly!
That gives me something to sing about every day of every year.
When the bitter winds of January are blowing, God gives us a song.
When relationships are difficult, loneliness settles in, or our hearts are hurting, He sings His love into the darkness.
When winter seems to linger longer than we can bear, His power remains vibrant, and we can join Him in a courageous song of faith.
And when spring finally arrives, the flowers bloom, and the sunshine returns, our song grows louder. Not simply because we are happy with our circumstances, but because we are delighted by His presence.
Even when the flowers fade and the leaves begin to fall, our song can remain steady and strong.
Why?
Because the faithfulness of God never changes!
The words of the beloved hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" remind us that our Father is constant, His compassion never fails, and His promises remain true.
You may not feel like singing today. You may be walking through a season that has left you weary, disappointed, or brokenhearted. But you can still choose to remember the goodness of God.
You can still praise Him.
You can still sing.
Your circumstances may change from season to season, but the character of your heavenly Father never changes.
3. Thanks-Living: Make Your Whole Life an Offering of Praise
And finally, thanks-living!
I believe this is what life is all about.
We were not created merely to pursue selfish ambition, personal recognition, or earthly gain. We were created to know God, to love Him, and to worship Him with every breath we take.
Our lives are meant to become songs of thanksgiving.
Think about that for a moment. The Father delights in the praise of His children. He is not looking for a perfect performance. He is not concerned with whether we always hit the right notes or whether our voices sound beautiful to everyone around us.
The Father simply longs to hear the song.
He wants our hearts. He wants our worship. He wants the everyday offering of a life that recognizes His goodness and responds with gratitude.
So when you sit down at your Thanksgiving table this year, enjoy the laughter of family, the abundance of provision, and the precious memories you share. Remember those who are missing, and allow yourself to treasure the gift of those who are present.
But don't forget why you were created!
You are alive today to give Him thanks, to offer Him praise, and to worship Him with your whole life.
You are joining a great symphony of faith that has been sung by generations of believers who have gone before you. Their circumstances were not always easy. Their journeys were not always predictable. But they learned to trust the faithfulness of God and respond with thanksgiving.
And now it is our turn to sing.
Make Thanksgiving a Way of Life
As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I hope you will enjoy every beautiful moment around your table. I hope you will make memories, share stories, laugh until your sides hurt, and give thanks for the people God has placed in your life.
But when the holiday is over, don't put your gratitude away with the decorations.
Keep speaking words of thanksgiving. Keep singing songs of praise. Keep living a life that points to the goodness of God.
Thanksgiving is not simply a day to celebrate. It is a daily opportunity to recognize who God is and all that He has done.
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is certainly not a perfect heart. But it is a heart overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk alongside me.
And it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!
Happy Thanksgiving, friends. May your home be filled with gratitude, your heart be filled with joy, and your life become a beautiful song of praise to our faithful Father.