Actual Thanksgiving

Will you set time aside on Thanksgiving Day, perhaps it’s today, to actually list the many reasons to be thankful to God? I was careful to say, “to God,” because so many simply talk about being thankful without ever really identifying the One to whom they owe their thanks. They may be referring to “their lucky stars,” or “the universe,” or “mother earth.” But, only God gives us cause for thanks and is the Reason for the initiation of this holiday.

In 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day. An organized day of giving thanks to God for His bountiful blessings had been practiced by various colonies back into the early 1600s. Then, it became an annual event in 1863. Here’s what Abraham Lincoln declared for that first national and annual holiday:

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.” —A. Lincoln, October 3, 1863

Of course, today we are struck by the political incorrectness of President Lincoln’s declaration. It seems, depending especially upon the particular political persuasion of the administration, public acknowledgement of a National Day of Prayer has often been too controversial for those in the highest offices in our land to risk. Never mind calling it, “…a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.” But, thankfully we still have such a holiday and the freedom to celebrate it as Christians who are still allowed to be publicly grateful to our beneficent Father.

How will you make this holiday truly a day of gratitude? It’s not easy when the emphasis of the day is divided between a sumptuous meal, football games and now, the extension of Black Friday into the holiday Lincoln intended for solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledging God, with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people.

One way to make sure you spend some time actually thanking God is to use the opportunity as you travel—over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house, or wherever—to take turns thanking God for something. Have each person think of at least three things. Or, as you gather around the table, Norman Rockwell style, have each person share one thing for which they thank God.

The bottom line is this: you don’t have to spend every moment of the day verbally expressing your gratitude, but be intentional about doing it and involve as many people as you can. If your relatives don’t believe in God and object to being thankful to Him, at least make them admit they’re thankful for you, or deny them dessert! It’s the Christian thing to do.

No, seriously, it’s easy to become a bit cynical when the nation shuts down, people gladly take their time off, they enjoy the benefits of the holiday they call Thanksgiving, but don’t intend to give thanks to the One who should be thanked. Let’s not fall into that trap. Let’s set the example of actually thanking Him!

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,…”  PSALM 95:2