I believe Thanksgiving should be every day, not just a celebration once a year. I think people should take the true essence of Thanksgiving more seriously than they ought to -- not like folks used to do. After all, what do most Thanksgivings amount to now -- challenging our diets with excellent, sumptuous meals that someone went to a great deal of work to prepare? Then there are the football games that must be watched, scanning through newspaper fliers to see the best bargains on Black Friday, packing up to make the hurried drive to the airport, or napping off the overdosing of tryptophan. Tryptophan is the amino acid in turkey meat that stimulates the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that influences sleep, but no more than any other meat.
Too many people have yet to express gratitude for most of their blessings since last Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is not just an expression of thankfulness in a thought or a paragraph of a prayer, if at all. Thanksgiving is an attitude of gratitude that needs to be consciously expressed a dozen or more times a day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Have you noticed how often young and older children are frequently nudged with an elbow and reminded, “Now, what are you supposed to say to Uncle Bert?” That happens so much because the youngsters have not heard it spoken to them very often, or if at all.
The other day, I gave two children some M&M’s that were defective. One smiled and said, “Thank you!” The other did not say anything but returned to the couch to examine what was on his iPhone. My wife and I enjoy attending the Sioux Central football games and basketball games of two junior high teens we know, and without prompting from their parents, they rush over to us after their games and cheerfully and genuinely say, “Thanks for coming to see us play. We sure do appreciate what you two do to support us.”
People choose to be grateful when they get a raise, promotion, job, a home, car, gifts, or other tangible things from people they know. But this is backward! People get dozens or more intangible gifts than physical, tangible gifts. Is an expression of gratitude essential in all instances? Let me think a minute -- YES!
If people want more success and more joy in life, then the first thing is to show appreciation for the many blessings and the things they already have. Only after people build an “attitude of gratitude” can they grow and build on their happiness or achieve meaningful success.
Try learning these two affirmations and repeating them several times a day.“Today, I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says ‘all things are possible’.” — Anonymous. And another, “It is not happiness that brings me gratitude. It is gratitude that brings me happiness.” — Anonymous. Write them down on colorful index cards and place them on your bathroom mirror, at your workplace, or wherever else you will see them the most of your day. My friend, Zig Ziglar, used to teach, “You will receive more of what you want when you express more gratitude for what you already have.”
Notice what the Bible tells us: 1 Chronicles 16:34 -- Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good and His loyal love endures forever. NET
And read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 -- Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. NET. And there are dozens more in the Good Book.
The bottom line is to thank three people: God, the giver, and your parent for teaching you some manners.
Oh, the M&M’s were defective because the candies only had W’s on them.
Hope to see you in church Sunday to worship our LORD and learn about the benefits of an “attitude of gratitude.” Make a difference!
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