Why Give Thanks

   When I was younger, my parents protected me from a lot of the hurt and difficulty of this world.  I will forever be grateful for that shelter and protection.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized just how much hurt and pain there is in the world.  While I will shelter and protect my children for as long as I can, I cannot keep them from difficulty, disappointment, or pain.  My parents did a great job protecting us, yet they have seen their children hurt.  They couldn’t keep away tumors, broken bones, or broken hearts.  Among my parents' three children, they have one who does not attend church, two who have been single mothers, two who have babies in heaven, and currently live more than 350 miles from all of their children and grandchildren.  In the past month, I have seen three families bury children.  This is not how it should be, and yet, this is how it is.  So with all this pain and death, why do we give thanks?

The holiday of Thanksgiving, as celebrated in the United States, dates back to the 17th century.  The celebration lasted several days and included both Pilgrims and Wampanoag peoples.  All present contributed food for the meal, but it probably looked a bit different than your family’s traditional turkey dinner.  It is unlikely that any turkey was served on the first Thanksgiving.  After an arduous journey across the sea, a difficult beginning of the colony, and distrust between both the natives and those who had newly arrived, this was a meal of friendship, peace, and thanksgiving.  The Pilgrims were thankful to have survived, and they wanted to express their gratitude to the Wampanoag for their help in that survival.  There were probably many who were still grieving during this time.  Only about half of the Pilgrims survived the trip and harsh conditions to make it to the feast.  While we generally don’t have a multi-day feast with friends who have taught us essential, life-saving skills in a new land, Thanksgiving is still a national holiday in the US.  President George Washington proclaimed, following a request from Congress, that we celebrate a national thanksgiving following the signing of the Constitution as a way to celebrate our thankfulness for the freedoms afforded to us in that document, including the freedom of religion that the Pilgrims initially came seeking.   It became a federally recognized holiday under President Abraham Lincoln.  While the historical significance suffices for many, I still ask, why give thanks?  This year may have been the worst year of your life.  Did you lose family or friends?  Did you suffer hardships?   Why would you stop and give thanks?

The Pilgrims were giving thanks to God.  They knew that He was the reason they survived when so many others did not.  The early Americans were thankful for the “inalienable rights” bestowed on us by God.  Without Christ, I see no need to give thanks.  Why be thankful for hurt and pain?  I may be able to contrive some small thing to be thankful for, but, how could I give thanks in less than happy circumstances?  Christians have a reason to give thanks, no matter their feelings or circumstances.  We are told in Ephesians 2:1-10, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  Even on our worst days, we are still saved from the wrath of God because of His grace and mercy.  We, who were enemies of God, have been made His children.  We have received so much more than we deserve, we ought to give thanks every day!  Not only are we thankful for the great grace bestowed upon us, but we are also commanded to give thanks.  Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  This may seem impossible at times.  How do we rejoice and thank God amid loss?  We can do so because we serve a Sovereign God who is in control of all things.  We know that all things are working for His glory.  We are thankful for a God who extends His mercy and doesn’t allow things to be as bad as they could be.  We continue under His mercy and grace each and every day.  We can rejoice knowing that our suffering is not in vain.  One day, the pain and suffering will be gone.  We serve a mighty God who can use even what is meant for evil for good.

This year I am thankful for a great many things.  Foremost in my mind is my salvation.  I do not remember a day not knowing the Lord as my Savior.  I am thankful for parents who know and love the Lord, and who taught me the same.  I am thankful for my husband.  He has been a great provider and protector.  He is an amazing father to our children, stepping up even when he didn’t have to do so.  I am thankful for the health and happiness of my children.  I cannot protect them from everything, but I am blessed to be able to homeschool and protect them from as much as possible.   We had so many long, rough, days in the NICU last year when Enoch was born.  We are so thankful to have him home, healthy, and thriving.  Our whole family has been blessed by his birth.  A diagnosis that seemed like a crushing weight, while still difficult, is no longer impossible and heartbreaking.  We have seen God’s hand moving through His people in their love and support of our family, and we can see how God is using Enoch to change us all for the better.   Even in these days of rising costs, we are learning how to do more ourselves and grow and make our own food.  We don’t have it down, there are many failures and growing moments, but we are learning new skills.  I am thankful for my family, near and far, and the family of God of whom I have been blessed to be a part.

What are you thankful for this year?  Do you have a reason to give thanks?  Did you celebrate Thanksgiving as a US holiday in which friends and family gather?  Are you celebrating simply because it is the day when most family and friends return to town?  Are you truly thankful?  If you don’t know Christ, I would urge you to consider your reason for thanks.  If you do not know Christ, you are still under the penalty for your sins, eternal punishment and death.  Repent and turn to Christ for your salvation.  Know the overwhelming thankfulness of being rescued from your sinful desires and the consequences of those sins.  Come and know the Savior who makes a family of His enemies.  He will change your heart and save you by His grace, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  (Romans 10:9-10)