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Only in America do we celebrate all we are thankful for on Thanksgiving Thursday and then hunt for bargains to acquire more stuff on Black Friday!
Being thankful and showing our gratitude are values we attempt to instill within our children. We want them to have good manners and show respect to others. But do we sometimes overlook the thankfulness within a ‘thank you’? The appreciation for receiving what is often undeserved, or not enjoyed by so many others. With so much available to us in our culture, it is easy to feel entitled to the extravagance around us. Are we bringing our children to a place where thankfulness is more than being polite, but a recognizable part of their personhood? Is such gratitude a part of us?
An experiment was done in New York’s Central park where an advertising firm dressed a person up as a blind man and gave him a cup to collect money. One day they put a sign around his neck that read, “I’m Blind.” On that day he collected about $4.00. The next day they dressed him the same way, placed him in the same location, but changed the sign to read, “It’s Spring and I’m Blind.” That day he collected nearly $40.00. The new sign caused people to realize how blessed they were by the flowers, birds, sunrise and sunset.
Thanksgiving is a great prelude to the Christmas season. As we stop to give thanks for God’s earthly provisions, a grateful mindset prepares us to embrace the spiritual/eternal gifts that come through Jesus Christ: To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God. Let’s be sure that Thanksgiving carries over and frames our Christmas season. May our thankfulness not merely be limited to lip service, but a movement in our hearts that finds expression in our attitudes, and the way we care for others. Let’s aim at touching the heart of God!
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