The Important Stuff
Christmas items have been appearing on store shelves for a couple of months now. In late October our satellite radio service notified us that we can now listen to Christmas music, and we have 18 different channels from which to choose. (What?—Only 18?!) Hallmark TV channel is already airing this year’s batch of Christmas movies. ButwhataboutThanksgiving?
I started to feel a bit more hopeful that not everyone was forgetting the month of giving thanks when I saw a Thanksgiving Day themed meme posted on social media. The meme began like this: “Now that November is here, we can focus on the important stuff.”
So far, so good, right? I looked at the pictures below the words—a plate of oven roasted turkey, a casserole of moist stuffing, a generous scoop of mashed potatoes almost smothered in gravy, and a wedge of pumpkin pie that looked so delicious that I could almost taste the cinnamon and nutmeg. BUT….Wait a minute— I think whoever created the meme may have forgotten the most important “stuff” of the month—something that should actually be part of every month (and every day). What might that be?
“In every thing GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) “In everything…” That phrase strongly suggests that thanksgiving isn’t to be limited to one day or even one month of the year, but should occur at all times. The prophet Jeremiah said
this: “ It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They [God’s mercies] are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-24) And throughout the book of Psalms this short phrase appears numerous times.
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.”
In her article entitled “The Power of a Grateful Heart,” Debbie McDaniel lists several benefits we receive when we live lives of thanksgiving to God.
<> Being grateful gets our eyes off of ourselves, and gets our focus back on our great God.
<> Pausing to give thanks— especially in the midst of hard circumstances—reminds us we are not in control, but God is.
<> Being intentional about being grateful helps us realize there are LOTS of things for which to be thankful…and often we’ll discover that it’s the little things that really are the most important after all. <> It’s almost impossible to complain when one is intentionally practicing a lifestyle of gratefulness. (Others will enjoy being around us more, too.)
Someone said, “The art of thanksgiving is thanks-living.” (Unknown Author) As the month of November rapidly unfolds, I pray that gratefulness will become more and more a part of my life, no matter what circumstances come my way.
Giving credit where credit is due:
biblegateway.com debbiemcdaniel.com/