A Thanksgiving Challenge
Don’t grow alarmed! This is not a call to give up turkey or forgo the dessert table at Grandma’s house; it is much more challenging.
As its very name implies, Thanksgiving is a holiday dedicated to remembering just how blessed we are and how important it is to express gratitude for the abundance of blessings. Throughout the years, the traditional way of commemorating our blessings is to gather around a table filled with good food and enjoy time with family and friends. Unless one is tasked with preparing this feast, it is likely one of the most tranquil of American holidays.
Thanksgiving should hold even more prominence for the people of God. Throughout the Bible, those who know the Lord and His blessings are called on to let their thanks be known. For example, the psalmist admonishes us to “come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise” (Psalm 95:2)! For those who have tasted the salvation of the Lord, every day abounds with thanksgiving for a God who desires an eternal loving relationship with His people.
When one displays a genuine spirit of thanksgiving, the desire to complain diminishes. God has made it abundantly clear that bad times will come in our lives and situations will not always turn out as we desire. Still, he does not want people who focus on the negatives and, in turn, diminish their spirit of thankfulness. Such a spirit is illustrated in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. As he admonished them to work out their own salvation by trusting God’s work in them, he wrote, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (2:14-15). Simply put, maturity comes by refraining from grumbling about the things God has called on us to do.
Now for the challenge. Beginning today and each day until Thanksgiving, write down five blessings you enjoy in your life and give thanks for these in your prayers. Secondly, commit yourself to make no complaint or grumbling at least until Thanksgiving dinner. This means no grumbling about traffic, bills, government actions, or the like. It won’t be easy; are you up to it?
A life focused on seeing the blessings of God while minimizing the mundane annoyances will help bolster the joy that undergirds our faith. May each of us commit ourselves to a life of thanksgiving that will one day bloom into an eternal day of blessings with the Lord!
