what ever happened to thanksgiving?

It dawned on me the other day that Thanksgiving is becoming an overlooked and underappreciated national holiday. In October, Halloween dominates the store shelves and people spend large amounts of time and money decorating their houses and yards to prepare for the inevitable parade of chocolate-seeking children dressed as princesses, pirates, and superheroes. When all of the Halloween hoopla is finally over, we seem to jump directly to Christmas. What happened to Thanksgiving? I can’t help but wonder if it’s a symptom of a society filled with people that increasingly believe they are entitled to whatever they want. After all, if I’m entitled to something, why should I be grateful for it? It’s easy for me to begin to grow resentful and angry toward ungrateful people who take and take and take without ever pausing to show appreciation for all they have received. It’s at that moment that I have to examine myself because when I do, I begin to see that I am often an ingrate. I suspect that you are as well. Before you get worked up into a hissy-fit of denial, consider these thoughts.

When was the last time you stopped and gave God thanks for waking up in the morning? For some people that’s not a big deal, but for all the “normal” people who like to sleep in, waking up is the daily equivalent of having cold water poured over your head…it’s just not fun. In that moment when you’re complaining about having to get up so early, have you ever considered that there are untold numbers of people all around the world that didn’t get the gift of another day to experience God’s amazing creation?

Or, for those with small children, when your three-year-old child came into your bedroom at the crack of dawn telling you it’s time to get up because the sun is up, did you pause and thank God that your child is healthy enough to get out of bed and walk into your room? If you’re like me, at that moment I’m not thinking about the great gifts of God in my life. I’m only thinking about how I can divert my three-year-old’s attention so I can catch an extra forty winks (for that matter, I’d usually settle for another twenty winks). When I take my children’s health for granted, I’m showing God my attitude of entitlement and living my life with ingratitude.

Let’s bring it down to a very basic level. Did you pause and thank God for the last breath you took? How about the last time your heart beat? The Bible tells us that God is the giver and sustainer of all life on this earth. He monitors your heartbeat. He is the one that causes your lungs to continue to function. Your brain is functioning properly because of Him. How often do we stop and thank Him for giving us life? Probably not often enough.

Unfortunately, one of the things we take for granted most often is one of the things that should fill us with the greatest wonder. How often do you take time to ponder what Jesus did on the cross for you? How often do you pause in wonder at the fact that you were deeply stained with sin, and yet because Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice in your place He now declares you “not guilty”? How often have you been deeply moved with gratitude by the thought that you were once God’s enemy and now He calls you His child? Have you spent time giving thanks that you can enter the very throne room of the God of creation to receive grace and mercy in your time of need? Have you taken time to ponder the fact that He loves you so much that He came to earth to redeem you, knowing that you couldn’t get to Him on your own? Do you stand in amazement at the thought that He has chosen to fill you with the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit? Have you lost the wonder of our God and as a result begun living a life of ingratitude?

I pray that each of us will put the words of Paul found in Romans 12 into action:

Romans 12:1 (NLT) - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Make sure you don’t skip over Thanksgiving this year. Remember that Thanksgiving Day is about a lot more than an unlucky turkey and watching football on TV. It’s about remembering who God is and all He’s done and letting Him know that we are eternally grateful.