Thanksgiving Day

In the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. He felt Thanksgiving Day could help heal wounds incurred by the Civil War. Although Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday at this time, harvest celebrations have occurred since colonial times. Thanksgiving Day gives people a chance to reflect on their blessings. It reminds people to have a thankful heart, to be grateful.

Childhood Thanksgiving

As a child, I looked forward to Thanksgiving. Depending on the year, my birthday fell on this day. Whether my birthday fell on it or not, my twin brother and I would get a birthday cake and all would sing to us. To celebrate being born with my family, some we only saw at the holidays, filled my heart with joy.

The day after Thanksgiving, my older sisters and I would head out early to take advantage of the “Black Friday” Christmas sales. We power shopped, finishing off our lists in time for lunch at a restaurant (a special occasion for us at the time; we did not frequent restaurants often). My gratefulness for this holiday continued because I got to spend the day after Thanksgiving with my sisters. Truthfully, finding the right gifts at great prices did bring me a lot of joy.

Thanksgiving today

Christmas has snuck up to steal away Thanksgiving Day. Radio stations start playing Christmas music around Halloween. Residential and commercial lights hang as Black Friday specials start weeks before Thanksgiving Day. Consumerism takes over. A lot of people spend the days leading up to Thanksgiving buying more stuff for themselves or others. They fill their identity with material things. They feel empty not thankful.

Who does not want to get a deal? I personally love sales, deals and Christmas. I feel conflicted because I sense myself getting sucked into Christmas’s commercialism. The ads pull me to shop. If I’m honest, I want to have a thankful heart but I am not making the effort to have one. Are you feeling unthankful? Do you desire a more thankful heart?

Shift focus

What would happen if we shifted our focus from what we do not have to what we do have? If we open our eyes to seek out the beauty and blessings that surround us? What if we told people we are thankful for them? There are many things (and people!) to be thankful for that we fail to acknowledge, see or simply take for granted.

When we become more intentional about harnessing thankfulness, we become more grateful human beings. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude makes us aware of the countless ways in which Jesus is at work in our lives, even during challenges and difficulties.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, open our eyes and shift our focus so that we can be thankful in all circumstances. Cultivate a thankful, grateful heart within us. Jesus, thank you for shedding your blood for us. You free us from sin’s bondage and give us hope of eternal life. We thank You for Your goodness and for Your wonderful works, for satisfying our longing souls and filling our hungry souls with goodness. Revelation 5:9, Psalm 107:8-9