Thanksgiving Day after Day
Posted in Family, General Posts on 11/25/2009 09:30 am by CaceyWith Thanksgiving just hours away I’ve been pondering what it means to truly be grateful. It’s easy to be thankful on Thanksgiving when you’re surrounded by family, friends and yummy food but what about all the other days of the year? I was recently encouraged and convicted by an article titled “Thanksgiving Day after Day” by Barbara Rainey…
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.
Psalm 50:23
Has it ever seemed surprising to you that God made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years just for grumbling and complaining? My kids may have spent 30 minutes in their rooms for griping, but 40 years? That’s some severe discipline!
One thing is crystal clear from this biblical account: God is obviously not pleased with grumbling, ungrateful hearts. And we should not tolerate grumbling either–in ourselves or in our children.
Being grateful is a choice that we readily and ritually express on Thanksgiving Day. But what do we do on other days of the year when the mood is less festive or the atmosphere is more ordinary?
I know for myself gratefulness is not my first reaction to an uncomfortable or painful situation. It’s something I need to purposefully cultivate in my life and ask the Lord to help me see the glass half-full instead of half-empty. Listen to this perspective in the article “Gratitude is a Choice” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss…
Matthew Henry, the eighteenth-century Puritan preacher whose Bible commentary remains among the most popular of all time, was once accosted by robbers while living in London.
Perhaps you’ve experienced this yourself—whether by having your car broken into or coming home to discover that your house had been burglarized. It’s among the most unsettling things that can happen to a person. I’m sure it was, as well, for a quiet, thoughtful man of letters like Matthew Henry.
“Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”
What a perspective! As someone has said, “If you can’t be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape.”
Here are some great resources that I recently discovered. You can purchase them from www.shopfamilylife.com or by clicking on the title…
A Family Prayer of Thankfulness (Laminated Card)
I thought this little card would be perfect to pass around our Thanksgiving table, having each family member take a turn reading a portion of the prayer. Or just post it on my refrigerator year round as a reminder to be thankful!
Growing Together in Gratitude: Stories of Faith for Families
I’m really excited about this little book and can’t wait to use it with my kids when they’re a bit older. It has seven accounts of people from the past and how they responded to their difficult circumstances with gratitude. Each chapter ends with a section for you to write in what your family is thankful for!
