Thanksgiving is coming around the corner and will be here before you know it. With how busy our lives can get it may become easy to see Thanksgiving as just another holiday. Let’s be honest, things are crazy, it seems impossible to clear your ever-growing to-do list, and you just need a break. After all, what is there to be thankful for? The extra work added by another event we are obligated to celebrate can easily steal the thanks from Thanksgiving. So, really, what do we have to be thankful for?

Thanksgiving has become another overly commercialized holiday; with all the stereotypes we have to meet, our celebration can quickly become another task. If you feel this way, don’t worry, I did too. It wasn’t until I began to write this post that I realized just how many things we truly have to be thankful for. I hope that this serves as a reminder to be thankful for Thanksgiving.

Let’s take a trip back to the beginning. Imagine a large gathering of men in black suits and funny looking hats gathered around a huge table eating food. (Oops, the stereotypes kicked in again.) When we think about the first Thanksgiving, we can often be blinded by the stereotypes our culture has generated. The Pilgrims didn’t have it easy. Before their famous celebration, life was really hard. They had pulled into the wrong harbor and were forced to build a colony for themselves. The winter had taken the lives of many of the settlers and starvation was starting to kick in. It wasn’t until they met Samoset and Squanto that things began to look up. Even after they had received help from the Indians things didn’t calm down. They still had to work hard to provide for their families, and they probably had significantly less time for entertainment than you and I do. What was it that caused the Pilgrims to be thankful? They chose to focus on God and His provision instead of how hard things had become.

The same God that the Pilgrims found their joy and Thanksgiving in is still with us today. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. What does this mean? If the Pilgrims found their joy in Jesus, we can too because He never changes. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. It is God’s will for us that we give thanks in everything. Yes, that does mean we ought to be thankful even in the busiest moments of life. No matter what challenges you are facing, God wants you to be thankful. Don’t worry, He won’t tell us to do anything without giving us the strength to succeed.

God’s will for us is that we be thankful in everything, but how are we supposed to do that? I’m a pessimist. If I want to, I can complain about pretty much anything. People often tell me to look on the bright side, and honestly, it only puts me in a worse mood. What is the cure for this disease of “unthankfulness” we all struggle with? Philippians 4:6-7 explains the secret to being thankful in everything. “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This advice came from Paul, if anyone had a reason to complain, he did. He often went without what he needed, in fact later in the chapter, he explains how he had learned to be content despite his circumstances. How was Paul able to be thankful through the hard times? He held onto his hope and love for Jesus. When we really take the time to consider all that God has done for us, we ought to be more than just thankful. Jesus gave His life so that we can have fellowship with God, if that’s not something to be thankful for, I’m not sure what is.

Thanksgiving is of greater significance than we often tend to think. It’s time that we pull away all the stereotypes and remember what it truly means to give thanks. You don’t need turkey, family, or even my personal favorite, KFC gravy, to be thankful. All you need is to remember the God that gave His life to save you from your sins. This Thanksgiving I’d like to challenge all of us to take inventory of how much God has truly blessed us. I know it may be hard, but God calls us to be thankful in everything. What does that mean? We ought to be thankful for Thanksgiving too.