How’s Your Thanks Giving Going?

How’s your thanks giving going?  No, not your preparation for the holiday.  I mean your practice of being (or not being) a thankful person. In Ephesians 5:20 we read,  

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our extended family has formed a tradition during November where every family member (almost 40 of us ages 3 -96) posts a picture, on an assigned day, of one thing that they are thankful for.  So far this year, the items have included animals, books, food, driveways, furniture and trees.  What a great thing to pause for a moment and thank God for the simple good things that God brings into our lives.

But our thanksgiving is to go much deeper than just an appreciation for the simple good things that God brings into our lives.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~ 1 Timothy 5:18 

We’re encouraged to be thankful not just for those things that we enjoy but for those difficult and trying things that are a part of our lives as well.  Things that, right now, may be bringing pain, frustration, sadness or confusion. Have you ever stopped to ask why are we to be thankful in all things? 

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” ~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

In this verse (and because we may be thickheaded, it’s repeated 6 more times in the Old Testament) God gives us 3 deeper reasons to be thankful.

1. Give thanks because God is good.

This phrase is contained in several places in scripture and while what follows may mention some of God’s good benefits to us, it starts with the simple but profound encouragement to be thankful for God’s character of goodness.  He is by nature good.  Give thanks for that!  Everything that he does is good, not just the benefits that we appreciate.  Be thankful that His only motivation toward us is goodness and faithful love.  God never does anything “bad’ to us.  He may discipline us for bad things that we have done or may allow us to endure the negative consequences of our actions but even those are things are ultimately “good” for us too.  

There’s a lot more that we could say about this but let me just make a few observations about God and his goodness

• God is the source of all good in the world.

James 1:17,  “Every good and perfect endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Psalm 145:9 “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

• God does only good things for His people

Ps 84:11, “No good thing does God withhold for those who walk uprightly.”

• In everything God works for good toward those who love Him.

Romans 8:28,  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

• He gives good things to those who ask Him.

Matt 7:11,  “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

• His discipline is a manifestation of His love and is for our good

Hebrews 12:10  “For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”

In His goodness, God is merciful toward those in distress, He offers grace to toward those who deserve only punishment and He is patient toward those who continue to sin. 

But there’s a bit more to this verse that adds weight to our confidence in God’s goodness.  Here’s 2 more reasons to be thankful. 

2. Give thanks because God is always good.

The Hebrew word used here is “hesedh“, a steadfast and faithful love; lovingkindness that is loyal and full of mercy.  

3. Give thanks because God’s love endures forever.

He is eternal and His love will always be present for us and always endure.  It does not change.

Understanding and embracing the truth of God’s goodness will bring great comfort to all areas of our life.  

Ps 73:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever,”

Since God Himself is the ultimate good that we seek, let me suggest 2 applications. 

1. Let the truth that God is good be the lens that you look through to help you understand, accept and respond rightly to any current hard circumstances that you are walking though right now.

2. Let God’s goodness be an attribute that you imitate. Be like God and strive to do good to all men.

Galatians 6:10, So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to whose who are of the household of faith. 

About the Author:

Rollie and his wife Sandi are children of God, parents of three adult children, and members of Trinity San Antonio Church.

Thanksgiving and Thankfulness

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Giving thanks in all types of situations is God's will for us. Not only does giving thanks mean walking in obedience to God, it also gives us a new perspective on life. Instead of feeling frustrated and discouraged by all the less than perfect situations we encounter each day, giving thanks turns our eyes to all the good gifts God has given us, and helps us to realize that He is working even in the midst of the hard things. When we start giving thanks, our eyes are drawn to the glory of God, and our hearts turn to Him in praise, not just for His good gifts, but for who He is. We all know this, and yet it is so easy to forget to be thankful. We even forget to thank God we can breathe through our nose until a bad cold comes along!

So, giving thanks is God's will for us. It's good for us and our spiritual lives and our perspective. But we so often forget to be thankful! And here enters November.

With the holiday of Thanksgiving coming up at the end of the month, November is a natural time to turn our hearts to the habit of being thankful. Here are a few ways to cultivate a heart of thankfulness in your children (and yourself!) in the month of November with just a few minutes a day:

1. Make a thankful tree.

You could also make a thankful bowl, or box, or pretty much anything that holds small slips of paper. To make a thankful tree, scour your backyard or local park for a short branch with lots of places to hang little pieces of paper. Then stick this tree in a vase, and place beside it a stack of small pieces of paper with a hole punched through one of the side. You can use pieces of string or Christmas ornament hooks to attach these pieces of paper to your thankful tree. Each day in November, have each member of your family write (or help them write, for the littlest ones) one thing they are thankful for on a slip of paper, and hang it on the tree. Sometime on Thanksgiving Day read through all the slips of paper and reflect on God's goodness! You can save these in an envelope with the year marked on it. It's really meaningful to look back on past years as well!

2. Memorize a verse about thankfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 is a great choice, but there are many to choose from! Just read it together 2-3 times as a family at breakfast each day, and you should all have it memorized by the end of the month!

3. Read a different verse about thankfulness together as a family, at dinner time or whatever time of day works best for you, each day in November, and spend a few minutes discussing it together. Pick out your own or use this printable list.

4. Three kernels of corn at Thanksgiving dinner.

Start a new family tradition and give each person at your table three (or five, if you want to do more!) kernels of popcorn. Pass a jar around the table, and take turns sharing one thing you are thankful for from the past year as you drop a kernel in the jar. Go around the table three times until everyone has used all their corn. This tradition stems from the legend that the pilgrims ate a ration of just a few kernels of corn a day their first winter in Plymouth. It can be a great tangible activity to help us slow down and thank the Lord! As Black Friday comes earlier and earlier each year, this is a small way to prepare our hearts for contentment amidst the waves of consumerism waiting to wash over us.

5. Listen to some music that will encourage you in gratitude on this Spotify playlist.

Bonus: Picture book recommendations to read with your kids.

• Give Thanks to the Lord by Karma Wilson. This book is inspired by Psalm 92 and walks through a family Thanksgiving dinner.

• Thankful by Eileen Spinelli. A look at thankfulness that combines the idea of vocation as well.

• Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxes. This excellent retelling of the story of Squanto emphasizes how God used the hard circumstances in Squanto's life to lead to the huge blessing he ended up being to the struggling colony of Pilgrims.

• Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller. This whimsical book follows the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, and has a nice emphasis on family and gratitude.

• Thank You For Thanksgiving by Dandi Daley Mackall. A little boy waits for his turn to say what he is thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner.

Let's be intentional this November about being grateful, and let these beautiful habits of praise and thanks transform us and our children more into the image of Christ each day.

Soli Deo gloria