I visited a 93-year-old woman in the hospital several years ago. Though hospital visits are a common thing for preachers, this visit made an impression on my mind due to the attitude of the patient. She was hooked up to machines and was struggling to breathe. She did not think she had long to live. As we conversed briefly beside her bed, she kept telling me how thankful she was to God for her life. The scene before me was not one that instilled thanks. Her circumstances appeared bleak, and yet her heart was filled with joy. She was living out the verse, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).
We do not celebrate Thanksgiving because everything is right in the world. Nor do we celebrate it because everything is right in our lives. We celebrate Thanksgiving because God is good, and He loves us. The Pilgrims in 1621 had suffered through a harsh year and buried many family members and friends in the new world. History records they were blessed with a good fall harvest and observed a special feast as an expression of thanks to God. The tradition was continued in following years until George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789. Today, 231 years later, we still pause to give thanks as a nation for the blessings God has bestowed upon us.
Giving thanks will change your attitude about life. When you give thanks, you force yourself to dwell upon the blessings instead of the struggles. To live with gratitude means you focus on the good instead of the bad. It is the will of God that we give thanks in everything. This means that every circumstance and every day has something in it for which we should be thankful. We can thank God for harsh circumstances because they remind us of our need for His strength and help. We can be thankful for struggles because we believe that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We can even be thankful for death because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8). Thanksgiving forces us to find the good in everything.
Giving thanks will guard your heart from discouragement. The bitter heart is fertile ground for seeds of resentment and unhappiness. When you whisper the words, “Thank you, Lord,” you chase away discouragement. When you sing the words, “Thank you, Lord,” you put to flight bitterness and disappointment. When you spend your time counting the blessings, you fill your heart with grace. When you choose to be thankful, instead of resentful, you reap a harvest of joy instead of despair.
Choose to be thankful - not just for this season but for the rest of your life. The Bible commands it. Christ Jesus wills it. Others will see it. Your life will be blessed by it.