In this season of gratitude, what does it mean to live thankful and thank-filled, not only on Thanksgiving Day, but on every other day throughout the year? How do we learn to live with grateful hearts for the gifts we have been given? If we recognize that God is always the giver of grace in our lives, then we can begin to count the blessings He himself bestows upon us. He gives us gifts, and we unwrap the evidence of His infinite love.
By naming the gifts we have been given, by actually counting the blessings in our lives, we cannot help but notice His grace everywhere, and in everything. And we are thankful for all of it, the monumental things, as well as the seemingly ordinary. It goes without saying that we are grateful for His mercy, His compassion, and His everlasting love. But to get into the habit of gratitude, we must also recognize the sunsets, the laughter, the friendships, simply all of it, as presents to unwrap in our lives, given by God himself for our delight.
The way to live a life of thanksgiving is to give thanks for all things, big and small. It seems the more we count up the blessings, the more our joy is multiplied. And before we know it, our hearts are brimming with gratitude and we can’t help but look for yet another of God’s gifts just around the bend. By giving thanks to God, each and every day, the moments add up to a lifetime of grace.
Let us recognize, on this Thanksgiving Day, and all the days in between, the abundance of grace in our lives. Unwrap the gifts and count the blessings, and know that you are loved by God. Then put knees to the earth and simply say “Thank you.”