Be Thankful
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and
his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love
endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. – Psalm 100:4-5
The day is coming to a close. It has been a day full
of food and laughter, memories and shared stories. We have remembered those who
have gone home. We rejoice with those who remain. Family. Friends. We all
gather together by choice and through love.
Today we remembered to be thankful for all those who
share our days, whether it’s those who are part of every day or those who
traveled to be with us. We remember all our blessings.
But what about tomorrow? And all the tomorrows that
will come? Will we be any less blessed on those days than we are today? Will we
remember to be thankful when we are overwhelmed by ordinary life? Will we
remember to be thankful on the hard days, the long days, the days of
heartbreak? Are we any less blessed on those days than on this day of
Thanksgiving?
We like to compartmentalize, don’t we? Today we’ll be
thankful. Sunday we’ll attend church and worship God. Monday we’ll work.
Tuesday we’ve got a club meeting. Wednesday the kids have something at school.
Each and every day is filled with life. But are we thankful?
It’s hard not to compare our lives with the lives of
others. There are parents who would give anything for another day with their
child. There are people who are fighting hard to live. There are people who
pretend all is well when the reality is they are hurting, lonely, desperate. Do
we see them? Do we try to understand?
And are we thankful? There are blessings in every day.
I won’t lie. Some days it’s hard to find them. It takes effort. It takes doing
what we’d rather not do as we wallow in self-pity. It means really looking
around and seeing life as it really is. Do you have a home? Do you have food? Did
you notice the sunset? Did you hear the birds chirping? And on and on. There
are blessings everywhere but do we see them?
God is good. We hear that a lot. It’s true. God is
good. But here’s what we don’t always understand: God is good regardless of our
circumstances. God is good even when we are sick. God is good when we are
hurting. God is good even when we can’t feel His Presence.
I hate it when someone responds to good news with “God
is good.” Yes, He is. But God is still good when the news is bad. God is good
even when He answers no. God is good when we are dying. God is good all the
time.
And we always have reasons to be thankful. Always.
Today I am thankful for family. I am thankful for shared memories and laughter.
I am thankful for my Mother’s recipes and good food.
What about you? What are you thankful for? Was your
day filled with joy or riddled with strife? Was your day spent in a large
gathering of family and friends or was it spent alone? Did you take time to
praise God? Did you remember to thank Him? It’s amazing how your attitude
changes when you fill your heart with gratitude.
God loves us no matter what. God is good no matter
what. Worship Him. Praise Him. Give thanks in all circumstances. He loves you
and me. That is surely something to be thankful for.
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