It is good to give thanks to the Lord. (Psalm 92:1)
Modern American Thanksgivings focus on food, family and football with a slight nod to being thankful for stuff. Sadly, this is about all we can expect from a culture pervaded with ingratitude.
Look around and look into your own life. Are you among those who refuse to be grateful for what you do have? If you have a place to live, even if it's not the home you want, be grateful you have a home. I could say this about your car, your bank account, your old iPhone or perhaps some members of your family. You get the point. Be grateful for what you have!
Another way we show our ingratitude is by taking things and people for granted. Did you just assume that there would be a turkey at the store for you to buy? We take for granted the abundance that America's prosperity provides. Are you like the cashier I met at the grocery store who said she was just going to "show up" and eat like she always has? I warned her that her Mom (like mine did) would one day probably want to turn the responsibility over to her. I got an eye roll and no comment. Who and what are you taking for granted this Thanksgiving - and the rest of the year? Show a little appreciation!
A third form of ingratitude that pervades our culture is perhaps the most harmful. Listen to folks talk about what they are going to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The trend seems to be that even when we are grateful FOR things, we fail to be grateful TO God who gave us those very things. God is the Creator of everything and of every person. Be grateful to God who blesses you every day. Thank God for everything!
This is a long weekend. Find the time to think long and hard about what it truly means to be thankful. Be grateful for what you have. Stop taking things for granted. Thank God everyday for everything.
To make America good again, let's be a nation that truly celebrates Thanks-giving, not just on one day, but as a way of life.
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