Happy Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's already that time of the year. This is the time where everyone in the world is expected to start reflecting on the past year and give thanks for even the smallest blessings. As we enter this new season, there are many phrases/ expressions we will hear people say. These three words are thrown around quite a bit: "Thankful, Grateful, Blessed." You can find them on t-shirts, ads, and especially social media this time of year. I think this is more a cliché expression than anything else. Do we really even know what that means anymore? Do we understand what it means to be thankful, grateful, and blessed? Or is it just a phrase we toss around once a year?
We often forget the meaning of thankfulness. We have lost our attitude of thankfulness. Thanksgiving becomes merely another holiday we celebrate, when in reality, we should be thankful year round. I myself am guilty of not counting my blessings, but that's not what thankfulness is all about. Thankfulness is an attitude combined with action; you can't have one without the other. Instead of viewing Thanksgiving as a 'time of the year,' maybe we should change our perspective and view it as an attitude of the heart. I have had to do some soul-searching while writing this post and I will admit that I don't always have an attitude of thankfulness, nor the actions to back it up. As I've mentioned frequently, and we can all attest to, life can become a whirlwind of things to do and suddenly our attitude of thankfulness disappears. We get stressed out with school, work, family, finances, etc. until we lose track of what is most important to us. We have so much to be thankful for and we don't even recognize it. It is one thing to say what we are thankful for; it is another thing to show we are thankful. I could tell my parents I am thankful for them, but unless I show it, they probably won't believe my words. As the old saying goes, "actions speak louder than words." In this case, both are equal cause to prove our thankfulness for someone or something. It isn't enough to express our thanks through our words, although we can certainly do so. We can give thanks without having a grateful heart, but lip service will not establish an attitude of thankfulness.
When we choose to view life through a lens of thankfulness, it transforms our hearts. What I mean by that is we begin to see each blessing for what it is: Jesus who died for our sins, family who loves us, a nice home to live in, food on the table, nice clothes to wear...These are only a few things that we can think about to create an attitude of thankfulness. When we begin to praise, our attitudes change. If you have ever been in church and noticed a shift in the atmosphere when people began to worship the Lord, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen this, maybe you can see the transformation of a child who receives praise rather than criticism. It is this attitude of praise that brings contentment in our lives. The definition of thankful, as found in Merriam-Webster's dictionary, is this: glad that something has happened or not happened, that something or someone exists, of or relating to expressing thanks. Therefore, we can always be glad for what we have and we can express our thanks by words. But until we really feel this thankfulness deep inside of us, it will not become an attitude of the heart.
Putting words into action is a great place to start in order to establish thankfulness as part of our life, rather than something we consider one day or one month of the year. The definition of grateful is: feeling or showing thanks. This is where our actions come into play. How can you show someone you are thankful for them or for something they did for you? You can send them a card, invite them over for dinner, buy them a gift (it could be as simple as flowers). There are so many ways we can show our thanks. If we feel thankfulness, we should act on it, because it will bring us true contentment.
Finally, the definition of blessed is this: having a sacred nature, connected with God, very welcome or appreciated. God is the one who can give and take away. He can bless us with good health, finances, and family/ friends. But we so often take His blessings for granted. Our society moves quickly, and we forget that everything good, everything true, and everything perfect comes from above. Sometimes, we feel we have accomplished some things for ourselves, and indeed we experience success. Let us not forget that God is the one writing our stories. He can take away in an instant what we took for granted, or He can give us more than we ever imagined in life. We may not understand why God allows some circumstances to occur, but we have to believe He has a greater purpose and remember past blessings. We also need to look toward future blessings He will give us, because He will fulfill His promises. While we may be waiting for a blessing we have not yet received, we must still praise God. We should always count our blessings, because He didn't have to give them to us. He chose to, just as He chose to give His life for us. That is what I call blessed.
When you begin to think about what you are thankful for on Thanksgiving Day, remember that the phrase "Thankful, Grateful, Blessed" is more complex than you realize. Ponder these words and search your heart to see if you are practicing the true meaning of thankfulness in your life. If not, I encourage you to change your perspective, and adopt thanksgiving as an attitude of the heart, instead of a time of year. Let's make it our goal to express thanks from the bottom of our hearts. They say it is better to give than to receive, and that's exactly what thankfulness is about: Giving praise, or expressing thanks, for blessings God has given us. We cannot continue to receive God's blessings without giving Him what he deserves. Let's challenge ourselves to become thankful as an attitude, rather than a holiday.