What happened to Thanksgiving?
Last week I had to leave the farm for a week and we were waiting on one young cow that still needed to give birth. I really wanted her to have her calf before I left. With less than 12 hours remaining until I was to get on a plane, I noticed that she was finally in labor. Of course she had waited until sunset, so I would be monitoring her in the dark. As I went to check on her the first time, I found myself praying, under my breath; praying that God would protect our investments and that the calf would be born quickly, easily and safely.
No one wants to pull a calf or assist in a birth, but I especially don’t want to when husband is away! I went over and we had feet showing, so I left and gave her some time. I went back to the pasture around an hour after my first check and the calf had been born! It was healthy and the cow looked to be in good condition. Without even realizing it, I stood at the gate watching the two together and, over and over, I was saying, “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus.” It meant so much that not only had this birth occurred before I left, but it happened easily and without having to call neighbors to assist.
Now don’t get me wrong, I wish I could say that Thanksgiving comes freely and naturally from my lips at every opportunity, but it doesn’t! But this day it did and I recognized it. What happened to Thanksgiving? What if we could live a life of Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday. Have we forgotten that Thanksgiving is not just a day off from work? It’s not just a day to eat turkey and watch football. This day is not just the beginning of the best shopping of the year! Thanksgiving should live within us daily, all through the year. And when the holiday itself comes along, the only difference should be that we are actually sitting with our friends and family to do together what we do every day, which is give thanks!
I have been studying and have been focused on Thanks and Thanksgiving for a few weeks now. I have felt God speaking in every aspect of my life regarding Thanks and Thanksgiving. As I studied these two words, I realized two important things.
One of the things I came to ponder on is really very simple. Thanksgiving is not just being thankful. I believe that you and I are truly thankful. I am thankful for breath every day and my home and my family and so much more. But do I always follow through on my thankfulness and give it to the one who deserves it? Do I tell Him how thankful I am? I have felt very overwhelmed recently when I think and meditate on all He has done and is doing, not only for me for all those around me. Living a life of Thanksgiving, intentionally, has brought such emotion to everything around me. It has renewed my joy and my desire to praise Him. Jeremiah 30:19 says, “From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.” I can’t help but be overcome with joy and gratitude (which means to be thankful and show it in return) when I give thanks.
The other thing I learned, the more I study and focus on Thanksgiving, is that Thanksgiving becomes a cycle in our lives. Once we find ourselves living a life of Thanksgiving, He blesses us. It’s His desire to bestow blessings upon His children when we praise Him and give thanks to Him. We by no means do it to get the blessings, we do it because we love Him. But then when He blesses us, we become thankful for the blessing and we praise Him and give thanks again. It’s a cycle!
The more we are blessed, the more we are thankful and give thanks. The more we give thanks, the more we are blessed!
Psalms 67:5-6 confirms this! “Let the peoples praise you, O God!…The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us!” The old song said it too, “When the praises go up, the blessings come down!” And in the midst of all of this, you can’t be upset. You can’t complain . All you can do is be joyful in the middle of any situation or circumstance, knowing that God is good and He takes care of His children.
What happened to Thanksgiving? We let it become a day. We let it become a meal. We have let it become the appetizer to Christmas. Instead, let us make Thanksgiving a part of our life! I choose to make Thanksgiving a lifestyle, a sacrifice of praise. And if He never blesses me again, He’s blessed me enough. Enough that I can sing a song of Thanksgiving and never run out of words!
How about you? What do you have to give thanks for? “Happy Thanksgiving” should now have a whole new meaning when we say it. It should now ring in our hearts when we hear it as, “May you experience joy as you praise God and give thanks to Him for all He has done!”
Happy Thanksgiving, from our house to yours, today and everyday!
Psalms 107
“Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
