Be Thankful

This Thursday is Thanksgiving. If you are like me, you are finding this hard to wrap your head around. It has been so warm here in the metro Atlanta area that has made it even harder to grasp.

The whole purpose of Thanksgiving is for us to give thanks. As a nation, we have set aside this one-day each year to do just that: give thanks. But, as Christians, shouldn’t we be doing this each and every day anyway? My answer is YES!
 
Knowing that God loved us enough to send his own son to die on the cross for us should make us thankful every single day. (See John 3:16)
 
Knowing that God is full of grace and mercy that is new each day should make us thankful each day. (Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23)
 
Knowing that if we are truly sorry and ask for forgiveness from our sins, God is faithful to forgive us. (See 1 John 1:9)
 
These three truths alone should be enough to make us grateful and thankful each and every day. Cicero was noted as saying, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.”
 
But, just as a reminder, below I have a list of other things we can be thankful for. Now, all of these may not apply to you, but I am hoping that most of them do.
 
Things to be thankful for:

• Your health
  
• Your family
• Your friends
• Your pets
• Your job
• Your home
• Food to eat
• Water to drink
• Clothes to keep you warm
• A bed to sleep in

 
I also wanted to share with you some of my favorite quotes on gratitude and being thankful. These top the list:
 
It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. ~ Wallace D. Wattles
 
Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. ~ Denis Waitley
 
O Lord that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.
~William Shakespeare
 
And though I ebb in worth, I'll flow in thanks. ~John Taylor
 
For hearts that are kindly, with virtue and peace, and not seeking blindly a hoard to increase; for those who are grieving o'er life's sordid plan; for souls still believing in heaven and man; for homes that are lowly with love at the board; for things that are holy, I thank thee, O Lord! ~ Walt Mason
 
Got no check books, got no banks. Still I'd like to express my thanks — I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night. ~ Irving Berlin
 
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~ W.T. Purkiser
 
I hope these reminders will help you to be thankful not only on Thanksgiving Day, but each and every day of your life. Because, as an unknown author has so rightfully shared, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough."