Luke Scallon
Published in The Des Moines County News on November 24, 2016.

Thanksgiving is a great time to take a break and see family and friends.  Many people will overeat, stuffing themselves with turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and much more.  Some will be loafing on the couch to watch the football game; others will be enjoying the brisk outdoors, perhaps playing their own game of football.  Some will already be waiting in shopping lines or browsing the stores for some sort of deal.  Still others will be stuck working and dealing with impatient customers.

Thanksgiving, as with many holidays, carries a number of traditions that have formed through the years, varying by family, culture, and generation.  Its roots in celebration have been swallowed by societal trends that follow our busy, fast-paced, entertainment-hungry orientation.  I would like to encourage you to take time to reflect on the goodness of God and to thank Him for all that He has done.

All of life is a gift.  Parents, siblings, children, and friends are all gifts from God.  Your job, however much or little it pays, your bank account, however much or little it holds, your house, however big or little it is, are all gifts from God.  Every breath we breathe is given by God Himself (Acts 17:25).

Let me share three reasons why you should stop and thank God this season, and at all times.

Thanking God reminds us just how dependent we are.  God is the giver.  He is the source of all things, the Creator and Sustainer.  “For by Him all things were created… and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17).  The abilities I have to work and earn are given by God.  The resources the world has to build and develop all come from God.  Simply look at how susceptible we are to medical conditions; we are limited by our conditions.  Only God is above all.

Thanking God gives us fresh perspective.  It is so easy to complain about everything!  How easy it is to become myopic if we will not regularly self-examine.  In our short-sightedness, we can wallow in misery and miss the simple blessings and profound goodness of God.  Instead of complaining of low pay, we can be thankful for the jobs we have.  Instead of complaining about distasteful food, we can be thankful for the food we have.  Instead of complaining about noisy kids, we can be thankful for healthy children.  There is often a better perspective if we will adjust the scope through which we view God and life.

Thanking God humbles us.  At times we are prone to think about what we want, and think that we somehow deserve such things.  Read Psalm 8!  When considering who God is, David has to wonder:  “What is man, that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4).  Yet God was mindful to sacrifice His own Son for sinful, unthankful people.

In the midst of your holiday traditions, pause to thank God, who is the good giver of all things!