Happy Thanksgiving! I think this is my favorite holiday of all. It’s a simple holiday of family gathering around food to be grateful. When we lived in Ukraine, it was a bit more challenging as it was not a national holiday. Finding a turkey and all the traditional Thanksgiving meal favorites was a huge challenge. But no matter what we could find and make, the theme of the day was still the same. We set aside the day to be together and be thankful. Simple. Powerful.
Gratitude is one of the most important spiritual practices we engage in. Of course, it is not only to be remembered one day a year. Gratitude is a way of life, and it is so powerful. A lifestyle of gratitude changes our attitude from that of deficit to that of abundance. It moves us to trust God more because we remember and reflect on how good he is. With that attitude and belief, it changes what we do and how we do it. It is out of gratitude that we learn to be more generous toward others because gratitude overwhelms our natural greed. Gratitude is a game-changer.
If you want one simple daily practice that invites God to transform your ‘stinking thinking’ and bad attitudes, then practice daily gratitude. Try it. This Thanksgiving, have each person in your family complete this sentence: “I’m grateful for…” Then make that your practice every day. You’ll see a remarkable transformation of your soul.
Yesterday was my birthday. I’m thankful for 66 years of life. A great deal has been hard through these years, but I find what I have to be grateful for overshadows the negative. Today is our 42nd wedding anniversary, and I’m so thankful for Jolene. What a gift she’s been to me. I can’t imagine having traveled this life without her. I’m thankful for my two kids and two granddaughters. They are all such special people. I’m thankful for my church that exists not for itself, but to serve others. I’m grateful for my friends that are close and far away. Each friend has added so much joy and adventure to my life. I have so much to be thankful for that it’s actually overwhelming, and that’s the theme of thanksgiving. It overwhelms you and me.
May your Thanksgiving overwhelm you with the joy of rediscovering how much you have to be thankful for.
Glen Elliott
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Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
This is a challenging command. Giving thanks in ALL situations alludes almost all of us some of the time. Recently I’ve been doing nearly a funeral a week. These folks have died from accidents, old age, cancer, and other diseases, including COVID. Try telling a grieving family to give thanks in their situation.
Some of our circumstances are just plain horrific. I know because you share them with me. All of our lives have been disrupted in so many ways by this pandemic, the election, and the racial tension we’ve experienced. I’ll just state the obvious – it’s been tough to be thankful in 2020! But as we come to Thanksgiving in this crazy year of 2020, I’ve been reflecting on President Abraham Lincoln and the context in which he instituted our Thanksgiving holiday. In 1863, Lincoln declared that the last Thursday of November was to be a day of thanksgiving. It’s been celebrated ever since.
Think back to 1863. It was a time when our country wasn’t just polarized; we were thick into a civil war. The country was literally torn apart and killing each other. The battle of Gettysburg had just been fought in early July. Some 50,000 soldiers died – the most in any American battle. Then later that same month, there was a massive riot in New York City – the largest urban racial riot in American history. It started as a draft riot that ended up becoming a race riot. Troops from Gettysburg were called to restore peace. What a season of chaos, fear, loss, disruption, and yes, for many, hopelessness!
Our current season of disruption isn’t anything close to the horrors of 1863. Yet, as that year ended, Lincoln reminded us that there was much for us to give thanks. Giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean we are thankful FOR bad situations. Instead, we look for ways to be thankful IN all difficult circumstances. We all have much to be grateful for, even in 2020! Don’t let 2020 rob you of the joy of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a gift God gives us to pull us out of sadness, fear, hopelessness, anxiety, and worry!
This Thanksgiving, take some time to slow down and reflect on all the things for which you are grateful. We can all be thankful for the grace God has shown us. He loves us, forgives us, is merciful toward us, is for us, promises always to be with us, and has adopted us as his children. That alone is cause to be thankful, no matter what 2020 has looked like. Then add to your thanksgiving your family, our freedom, and our faith. 2020 is nothing like 1863 when Lincoln declared a day of thanksgiving. Give thanks!
Glen Elliott
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