Preparing to Give Thanks

Ah, Thanksgiving Week, that wonderful time of crammed grocery stores, black Friday sales, family, and frayed nerves.  I love Thanksgiving!  I love the food, the focus on family and togetherness, and the reminder to be thankful.  The problem is, that for many of us, the good things of Thanksgiving can often get lost in the franticness, busyness and challenges.  We want the perfect Thanksgiving dinner and when that doesn’t happen, either due to food or personality challenges, our holiday is ruined.  We want to just relax and be with family, only to find ourselves running around trying to get the right food or the best deals.  We then head back to work on Monday more tired than we left on the Wednesday before, and wondering what happened to the wonderful holiday we had planned.

For me, it helps to remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the first place.  In the beginning it was a simple celebration to show thankfulness for still being alive, for having food to eat, and for a harvest that would hopefully sustain them through the winter.  It was a celebration of life and the simple things in life because that was all they had, and in the environment they lived, survival was something that was not a given for anyone.

I want to encourage you to take some very intentional time during this Thanksgiving week to think of all of the blessings that God has given you, from the simple to the more complex.  Make a list of all of these blessings and put them in a place where you will see them on a regular basis.  This list can be simple, or get creative by searching on the internet for ways to make trees, wreaths, or pictures that involve the whole family.  What a great thing to make, keep, and bring out every year to remind yourselves of God’s many blessings for you and your family over the years.

Spend time grounding yourself in Scripture.  This can be as simple as reading a different Psalm or New Testament passage every day, to using a Bible App or web site (try www.BibleGateway.com) to search for “give thanks” and “thankfulness” throughout Scripture.  Studying Scripture, and what God teaches us about thankfulness, is a great way to remind yourself of the true reason for thankfulness and for the amazing blessing we are given in Jesus Christ.

Be intentional this week about giving thanks.  I am not talking about just giving thanks around the dinner table at Thanksgiving Dinner,  or as something to check off your list but as something that takes some times, thought, and prayer.  Write down God’s many, many blessings for you and your family.  Spend time grounding yourself in Scripture.  Spend time with God in prayer asking Him to show you the many blessings He has given you in a new and fresh way.  When you get caught up in the hecticness and franticness, remember that it is simply a time to be thankful, the rest are just details.

Colossians 3:15 “ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful. “

God bless, Rev. Liz Arakelian, www.LivingHopeEC.org