It's that time of year again- the season where we are inundated with cutesy Facebook posts and signs saying that we should be thankful for all sorts of things. But in the season of insane Black Friday stampedes, have we lost sight of what it truly means to be thankful?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word 'thankful' as "glad that something has happened or not happened, that something or someone exists, etc; of, relating to, or expressing thanks"
The focus of the word is on the people that surround you and the events of your life. It does not have anything to do with what generation of iPhone you have or the brand of your new shoes. It puts the focus on the truest, realest parts of life. So let's be thankful for those.
Let's be thankful for the families that we have, whether blood-related or not. Let's be thankful for the ability to make every day new, no matter what our circumstances. But above all, let us be truly thankful for the gift of life. It is a gift freely given by Jesus Christ, purchased at the highest of prices. When you think about it, the thought of someone who you do not know volunteering to die so that you can have life is crazy. Utterly against all human nature. But it happened. It's true. And it is one big reason to live a thankful life.
Even if you are going through the hardest, darkest, roughest season of your life, you have at least one thing to be thankful for- and that is the gift of life. You were chosen to be brought into this world, chosen with a purpose and a plan, made by the One who has never ever left anyone, ever.
What if we all focused our attention on practicing thankfulness every day, not just when the leaves start to fall and the calendar is coming to an end? What would it look like for us as a society- a consumerist society- to focus on the things that do not have price tags? Instead of focusing on how we can increase our own wealth and status, what if we actively made the choice every day to serve others, and to be thankful for their existence, their lives?
Let's model our our lives all year long around the spirit of thankfulness. Because every new day where we are given the opportunity to draw breath is a gift. It is a blessing of which we are so unworthy. And when you're given a world of possibilities every day you're alive, it would be a crime to not give thanks for them.
So this holiday season, practice thankfulness in your everyday life. Say thank you to your waiter. Give up your seat for someone else. Show your thankfulness to Christ by living out thankfulness for others. I promise, it will catch on.
