The Giving Of Thanks

Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD  through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me;  you have become my salvation. Psalm 118:19-21

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:29

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians  5:16-18
Yes, we are once more at that time of year in which families will travel many miles to gather together to eat large meals and then sit stupefied before the “one eyed monster” hoping their alka-seltzer will kick in soon.  Somehow the focus on the giving of thanks has gotten lost in the idea of “turkey day”, “t-day” and televised parades.

And yet, the idea of taking time to give thanks to the Divine Being has been a part of our history from the beginning.  George Washington declared a day of thanks and so have many others over the past couple centuries.  And it is fitting indeed that we set aside time to give thanks for the myriad blessings we have received.  Yet I wonder, will folks remember the blessings received even in the face of the many trials of the year past?  Will people remember to give thanks or will we as a people focus only on troubles and supposed perils before us?

As we come to this special day, the fourth Thursday of November, let us not focus only on the food and family traditions – let us focus on He Who gave Himself up for us so that we can stand before the Father in holiness and humility.  Let us give thanks to our God and Redeemer for He has indeed blessed us with many blessings in the midst of troubles and trials.  May His Name be praised for ever!