Give Thanks

A song I recall vividly from my youth that we would sing in services leading up to Thanksgiving was "Give Thanks." The words were simple but yet everyone sang them with such feeling. It said "Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks, because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son. Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks, because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son. And now let the weak say ‘I am strong’, let the poor say ‘I am rich’, because of what the Lord has done for us; and now let the weak say ‘I am strong’, let the poor say ‘I am rich’, because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks." 

That goes along hand and hand with the message my pastor shared last evening in church.  Being the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, many congregations chalked it up to last minute prep work or travel and decided to cancel service. Not at my church. We were there, praising and worshipping the One that allows us to offer thanks. So often, we loose sight of what God has done in our lives and we only focus on the next thing that we want. We sit back saying "prove it God, do this or do that," instead of saying thank you God.

This season has been a trial for so many. It seems that the enemy is attacking left and right on the families of my little church. From spikes in blood pressure and blood sugars, to AFib, to deathly allergic reactions, high speed brake lock ups, cancer diagnosis, and that is just within the past 10 days! It would be so simple for anyone of us to sit back and say oh whoa is me. I'm so sick. Or why did this happen? But when we ask those questions, the focus goes from the goodness of God to the poor pitiful me mindset. Once in that state, it is hard to remember all that He has brought us through.

Did you wake up this morning? Thank Him because it by His mercy you were given this new day as a present. Were you a little late for work today, you just couldn't get going? Thank Him because there may have been some danger ahead that you were protected from. Everyone wants to thank God and praise Him in the big things, the miraculous healings and the extraordinary deliverances but forget to praise and thank Him for the very breath that you just took. It could have been your last, but it wasn't.

As I sit here, having just eaten my Whataburger bacon cheeseburger and drinking on my Dr. Pepper, I'm thankful. I'm thankful that there are places open that cater to those who may not have a place to go for the holidays, places that will serve those who have to work keeping us safe in our communities, or for those who just abhor the traditional that look for something different.  I'm thankful that I have a job in an industry that allows a voice to be on the other end of the line in what could be a difficult time for them. 

While today is a day that many look forward to every year to stuff themselves full of turkey and all the fixings that goes with it, to eventually sit in front of a TV screen dozing off with a football game blaring, the thankfulness of the day left the gathering a long time ago. It is tradition and nothing else. I had been guilty of that. I stretched myself thin trying to be at this house and that house, covering hundreds of miles to appease two families. The fear of disappointing one or the other of the families always looming large and overshadowing what the day was intended to be. Today, I chose my own thanksgiving. Today I give thanks for just being able to wake up, go to work, come home and enjoy my burger.