Thanks for What?

Gobble. gobble, gobble. Loads of tryptophan flooding our systems and making us sleepy after enjoying some turkey. Bellies that are full but still have a little room for something else. Meals shared with family and friends. Conversations in every part of the house. Football games on TV all day long. Snoring men on the couch holding their stomachs. Women sharing recipes and chatting away. Long parades in large cities with marching bands and giant balloon characters. The aromas of food, food and more food filling the house. Laughter at familiar stories we've heard around the table often throughout the years. Cameras clicking as bribery photos are taken. Some people playing dominoes, spades, monopoly, chess, or video games. Some planning their early morning visits to the stores in Black Friday.

What is this day of Thanksgiving all about? Is it about spending time with loved ones and sharing some good food together? Yes. Is it about socializing? Yes. Is it about football games? This one really depends on who you ask. But for many it is a tradition, while for some it is utter nonsense. Is it about big balloons of cartoon characters and marching bands? Not really, but for many this too is a traditional thing to watch or partake in. Is it about making a plan of attack for getting up at 3am in the morning to be at the stores when they open up at 4am for Black Friday? No. But for many this is their best chance to get everyone affordable Christmas presents, it's become a tradition as well for many.

Many can't really tell you much about this holiday other than the traditions they uphold and maybe mention the pilgrims without much more detail given. When was the last time you thought about all the things you're thankful for? Are you breathing? You can be thankful for that. Do you have fresh drinking water? can you think clearly? Can you see and hear? Do you have a bed to sleep in at night and a roof over your head? Do you live in a country where you are free? Do you have a job? Do you have a comb or brush for your hair? Do you know that more than a third of the world don't have combs or hair brushes? More than half the world does not have a mattress to sleep on. More than 40 percent of the world does not have fresh water to drink. More than half the world is not able to bathe every day. More than a third of the world does not know what a tooth brush is. More than 35 percent of the world does not have a regular home to live in. Tens of millions of people live in countries where they have no freedom or security.

We have an awful lot to be thankful here in America. Those who are devoted followers of Jesus Christ have so much more to be thankful for. Yet we forget because we are blinded to how blessed we are. God forgive us.

I am thankful for: salvation, for God's mercy and grace, for the gift of the Holy Spirit in my life, for the gifts and talents the Lord has given me, for my wife, for my family, for my friends, that I can read the Bible in my home, car, and a public place; I can eat, read, run, hear, see; I have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep on, fresh drinking water, a shower, tooth brush, soap, deodorant, clothing, shoes, electricity, a car; I can preach the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ anywhere without getting arrested or imprisoned! I can go to school. I am thankful for air; the stars; the moon; the oceans; for laughter, tears; I can share my emotions with others; I can feel the emotions of others; I can write whatever I feel like writing; I have a cell phone. There is so much I am thankful for that I could keep writing this blog post for the next dozen years or more. God is so good and I love Him. If He were to never do another thing for me again, I still have so much to be thankful for.

I want to take a second and encourage all devoted followers of Jesus Christ with these two verses from Colossians 2:6-7:

"And now, just as you received Jesus Christ as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then, your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
-New Living Translation

These verses beg the question, what is the condition of your faith? If it is not growing, then there will be little thankfulness and probably more bitterness. Faith that grows will always bear the fruit of thankfulness.

Many years ago I listened to the Christian rock group Petra and fell in love with one of their songs. The title is, "Thankful Heart." Here are the lyrics. Let it be your prayer.

Thankful Heart:

I have a thankful heart that You have given me
And it can only come from You

There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel
There are no words to express how you've become so real
Jesus, You've given me so much I can't repay
I have no offering

There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel
There's nothing more I can say, and now way to repay
Your warming touch that melts my heart of stone
Your steadfast love - I'll never be alone

I have a thankful heart that You have given me
And it can only come from You
I have a thankful heart - Words don't come easily
But I am sure you can see my thankful heart

Help me be a man of God
A man who's after Your own heart
Help me show my gratitude
And keep in me a thankful heart