With A Thankful Heart

What does Thanksgiving mean? It is the expression of gratitude, especially to God. Here in North America it is an annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal including turkey. The holiday commemorates a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November which is next week!

This is a time for us to remember all of the things that we have to be thankful about.

I know for me there are not enough days in the year for me to tell you all of the things that I have to be thankful for.

My heart is so full today because I have been blessed with a wonderful family whom I love and cherish, an amazing church family and host of friends that God has blessed me with and for this I am truly thankful! Psalms 106:1”Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Sometimes it can be tough to be thankful for the little things, especially in hard times. But here’s the funny thing about thankfulness. Once we begin counting our blessings, we often discover that we have a gracious plenty after all. It’s simply the change in perspective from dwelling on what we lack to focusing on what we have.

Thankfulness is a concept that appears often in the Bible. The faithful are called to give thanks to God for everything and not only to be thankful but to rejoice: “ Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” ( Psalm 95: 2). And much like counting our blessings can uplift us, reading or reciting Bible verses about thankfulness to God has a way of filling us with hope.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. So with this holiday season let us remember that we can all find something to be grateful for and allow our hearts to be thankful.

Here is a little poem that I found about a thankful heart that I hope will bless you and help you to remember that we can be thankful always.

“ I lift my heart to Thee, O God, In gratitude and praise For all Thy blessings of the past, And those of future days. For well I know if I shall live, Thy blessings still shall flow. Across my soul in greater joy Than I could ever know. I thank Thee for my faithful friends, For sunshine and for rain, And every blessing hid or seen, Though some may come through pain. O God, accept my thanks to Thee each time I come to pray, And grant each day that I shall live Will be Thanksgiving Day.”

— Poem by F. W. Davis

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