Education
As the leaves fall and the air cools, we just feel the changes that surround us. It is more evident every day that a new season is approaching and another season is closing down. As we look at our calendars and plan our coming weeks, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner! Thanksgiving is an interesting time; we set aside a day and time to be especially thankful. We recognize and celebrate God’s blessings in our lives, our families, our relationships, and in our work and play. Without question it is a good thing for each of us to do as individuals and as collective groups. Maybe our class, our church, our youth group, our family, or our school could and should actively find ways to express and demonstrate gratitude to God. Saying “thank you” is an important habit, often embedded into our vocabulary and our conversations at a very early age. All of us know immediately what the answer is to the question expressed by an adult to a child when they ask, “What do you say?” We have discovered even when we are young that a quick thank you, even though it might lack sincerity, is less painful and more acceptable than to resist or express our true feelings at the time, which actually might not even be close to gratitude. Please understand that I am not encouraging us to forgo good manners and to be impolite or unresponsive, but I do think we rush past the words without much thought put into what we are really saying or wanting to say. I find it ironic that we have become satisfied as a nation, particularly as Christ-followers, with a day of gratitude as opposed to the “life of gratitude” outlined in the Scriptures. It seems that we have once again settled for an easier approach and unfortunately we are passing that onto the next generations. I don’t believe Christ views gratitude and thankfulness as a part-time activity. So what should living a life of gratitude look like? What would be different about us - our work, our relationships, our families, our friendships, our communities, or our response to God - if we really believed we should be thankful in all things and at all times. It seems to me living a life of gratitude should obvious in our words. Every word out of our mouth or in our actions, those things we do and the manner in which things are done should be filled with a more grateful spirit. Our lives should be packed with joy-filled service for others. We should be more open in our acknowledgement of God’s care and blessings. Without hesitation we should recognize every time and with great passion just who it is “from Whom all blessings flow.” Our daily walk should be filled with words of praise for God and with encouragement for those around us. We should never hesitate in expressing our appreciation or being a grace-filled person as we interact with others. Compassion should not be a decision but a lifestyle; tenderness and kindness are guiding principles that are not viewed as a sign of weakness but signs of God’s presence in our lives. To be aware of our need to be grateful is a gift and must shape us every day. As you can see, living a life of gratitude and thankfulness is not easy. It is certainly not a part-time activity nor can a single day or even a season of time be sufficient to express our gratitude to God. It is a full-time task that has no beginning or end. There should be no limits on how gratitude should be demonstrated or to what extent thankfulness must influence how we live each day of our entire life. As Thanksgiving Day comes around on the calendar this year let’s try our very best to not have to make it a day different than any other day of the year because we are already living every day as great gift from God; a day we can fill with our gratitude, praise, and thankfulness.