Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
Have you noticed how Thanksgiving has almost become the “forgotten” holiday? It is kind of sandwiched between Back-to-School time and Christmas. When I was young, Christmas advertising and promotions never started till the day after Thanksgiving.
Isn’t it strange we set a day - one day – aside for thanksgiving? Kind of makes me wonder why we have to be reminded to be thankful. Yet, even in Scripture, we are reminded to do so.
It can be so difficult to be grateful sometimes though, doesn’t it? When we are in pain, or unable to do the things we want to – who wants to be grateful?
Are we to be grateful for our pain? I don’t think so. Are we to be grateful for our losses? Well, sometimes out losses end up being for our own good, but it might not seem so at the time.
So, when the day of being thankful is over – what next?
I find that it is much easier to find things to be grateful for on Thanksgiving day, than I do the rest of the year. My goal has become to try to look for the good in everything around me. That gets pretty hard sometimes.
Yet, there is one thing I can always be grateful for. And that is that I am God’s child and I have finally realized His great love for me. That doesn’t change when I am in pain. That doesn’t change when life changes around me.
One of the easiest ways I know of for me to dig myself up out of the negatives that so easily surround me and begin to look toward the positive is to do exactly what this verse says. My singing may not be what it was but I can sure listen to uplifting songs. I can still look to the book of Psalms and find words that speak to my heart.
I have a “Go Bible” (my kids call it my “God-pod”) which has the whole Bible in spoken word and you can easily go to any chapter or verse you want and listen to God’s word. Technology has provided us with so many ways to encourage one another and ourselves so that we can praise Him, when the praising is difficult and show a gracious attitude of thanksgiving more than one day a year.
Finding anything good in your life today?
Thank God.