Thanksgiving
A Poem by Natalie, Age 11
Dancing, laughing, watching the parade.
Eating turkey, ham, pierogies, cranberries, cake, and potatoes 'n gravy.
The boys go and watch the big game as the girls go and talk about their day.
All full, all tired, but together.
Happy and joyful in this space.
All is at peace on this day.
There is something beautiful about
the simplicity of the Thanksgiving holiday—not overly commercialized, no
extravagant gifts exchanged or excessive decorations displayed, and seldom a
frenzied rush of activity, just gather together with loved ones, eat, and be
thankful. When we slow down, pause, and
reflect upon God’s goodness to us, giving thanks becomes simple and effortless.
Beyond an annual holiday, however, we are encouraged to live a lifestyle of continual
thanksgiving to God (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
For some reason, moving from a holiday of thanksgiving to a lifestyle of
giving thanks proves much more challenging.
What comes easy in times of slowing and reflecting becomes a chore in
the midst of life’s endless challenges.
The psalmist wrote about offering a “sacrifice
of thanksgiving” to God (Psalm 116:17). Admittedly,
I rarely think of thanksgiving as a sacrifice.
Sacrifice implies a giving up of something valuable, a letting go or
release; in other words, it hurts and giving thanks shouldn’t hurt. Yet, to live a thankfulness lifestyle does,
in fact, require tremendous sacrifice—it includes a letting go of our own sense
of accomplishment in order to see the blessings which have come from the hand
of God, it requires a setting aside of our need to take the credit in order to
give praise to the God who gave us the abilities in the first place, it calls
for a releasing of the negative feelings we hold toward others in order to see
the beauty which God has created in them, and in some way it empowers us to see
the God who redeems even the most painful of situations.
This coming holiday, give thanks! And give yourself to the One who is
thankworthy!
