I think that sometimes there are dangers that come with things that we do on a regular basis. Most of us are making plans, or plan to make plans for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We know that this comes with the idea of being thankful. But so often we associate our joy with our ability to be thankful. What I mean by this is that we assume that joy is the result of happy circumstances. So we try to find some happy circumstances in our lives and we label those as things for which we are thankful. We get an unexpected gift and we give thanks. We receive a promotion at work and so we give thanks. We give thanks for our good health, our loving families and our general well-being. But what happens when these things go away. After all, most of us know someone who is is having a hard time finding work. We know people who have experienced the loss of family and cant celebrate with them this season. We know people who are struggling to make ends meet and have not received any recent blessings.
So are we freed from the biblical mandate to give thanks simply because things are not presently going as well as we would hope they would? Or are we called to give thanks for all circumstances?
Thanksgiving should not be based solely on the good things we experience this side of eternity. Our minds need to be set on things above and all of the good that God has given to us in the person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These things do not ever go away, they are always present with us and are a means of constant thanksgiving. So this holiday season focus on the things you have to be thankful that cannot be taken away and you will find that joy is a lot easier to come by!
