Thanking by Thinking

“Blow, blow thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind as Man’s ingratitude.
Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky.
Thou dost not bite so nigh as benefits forgot.”
-Shakespeare

“Bless the Lord oh my soul”, David said, “and forget not all is benefits.” (Psalm 103:2)

That reminds me that gratitude is at least as mental as it is emotional. I am called to remember God’s benefits. Right now that’s very doable, even when feeling all warm and gooey isn’t within my emotional reach.

Because really, at times it isn’t. Not because life is terrible for me by any means – I have so much more good than I’ve earned, and not a fraction of the bad I deserve – but while my life is unquestionably blessed, it’s also stressful. for reasons similar to yours. Not enough time, never enough energy, don’t get me started on money, too many loose ends here there and everywhere, weird things people do, weirder things I do. All of which simply means I’m more than a little overwhelmed by too many things coming too quickly, leaving me feeling more drained than delighted. So boo-hoo.

I’m told in Scripture to be thankful, remembering God’s endless benefits, and if ever it would be hypocritical to remain unthankful it would be now, when the word “Thanksgiving” is on everyone’s lips. So I want to observe the day in a way that’s meaningful beyond the normal chatting, stuffing and moaning afterwards, and I’d like to feel by the end of today’s celebrations that I did it right. More than ever, I see that means being willing to turn my thoughts to the truth, which is, of course, that God is now and forever indescribably good. A few ways I can keep that truth before me as this wonderful day progresses:

1.Before all the hoopla starts, I can set aside time for focused prayer and genuine reflection. I’ll consider it a farce to do anything less on Thanksgiving Day. And when I set this time aside, I’ll seriously consider where my life would be were it not for His mercy and provision. That alone will do the trick; at least, it should.

2.I won’t insult Him with the proscribed 20 second blessing before digging into the turkey. He’ll have been thoroughly and individually thanked by me beforehand, and it won’t just be for the food.

3.I will be able to say, by the end of the evening, that I have put concerted effort into mentally recognizing, then verbally expressing, God’s everlasting goodness to anyone who’ll listen. (Memo to family: Buckle up, I’m may get very
Pentecostal today.)

4.I’ll look for opportunities throughout the day to communicate to my fellow partiers, both Christian and non, my experience of God’s grace, without sounding sanctimonious.

5.I’ll also look for opportunities to laugh, enjoy my spectacular family, feast, laugh, then feast and laugh some more. If it’s not fun, it’s not Thanksgiving.

That’s what I’m aiming for, anyway. Sure hope this Thanksgiving is everything, for you, that it should be.

Thanks for being here. You’re on the list of things I am truly grateful for. Have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving Day!