Thanks Living

"Gobble Gobble!" Now, is that the sound of live turkeys or is it the sound of countless individuals gleefully over-indulging at Thanksgiving feasts?

Most of our Thanksgiving traditions center around the table--lovingly arranged with dramatic displays of delicious delights which we daringly devour. My family is no different. In fact, when I was a teen, my best friend and I delighted in going from house to house during the holiday in an annual attempt to top the previous year's record of over-indulgence. The focus was certainly not on giving but on getting!

As I reflect on the original intent of Thanksgiving, I am challenged to look beyond the table and a once-a-year gathering and look at how God provides bountiful blessings to me all year long. Some blessings come clearly marked, while others are blessings in disguise. A job loss never looks or feels like a blessing when it comes, but if we stand on God's promise that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28), then we can follow God's directive to "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.... " (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

The interesting thing about the word thanks is that, in the Bible, it is often associated with praise and it also mentioned as something done "among the heathen" (2 Samuel 22:50), "among the people" (1 Chronicles 16:8), "in the great congregation" (Psalm 35:18), and "to all generations" (Psalm 79:13). That means that our thankfulness to God, our praise to Him is not something we keep to ourselves. Thankfulness is something we give to God--thanksgiving--and when we publicly and proudly praise God, we give Him not only the glory He is due, but we inspire and encourage others to see God at work.

To be thankful is to be mindful of God's presence at every point in our lives. To be thankful is to be mindful of God's power to transform our lives. To be thankful is to be mindful of God's plan for our lives--a plan so awesome that no obstacle can deter it. To be thankful is to be faith-filled and to live a life so centered in God that we come to know what life truly is--a magnificent love story about the Creator and His beloved creation. We know how the story began, and if we are saved, we know how it ends. Our faith should help us not to get so distracted by the challenges that lead to stressful living but to focus instead on a praise-filled way of life I like to call, thanks living.

What does thanks living look like in your life? How can you set a better of example of faith and "make known His deeds among the people"? Take a moment to praise Him while you have the chance. You don't have to wait until Thursday. You don't have to stop with Thursday. Make every day a day of thanksgiving and watch how you will continue to receive more to be thankful for.

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen