The Funny Thing About Thanksgiving

I remember a few years back Oprah used to encourage followers to list things they were grateful for on a daily basis, like keeping a journal of gratitude. Obviously this is not a bad thing, but I just wonder if this is really effective. Is our idea of living in gratitude simply about stating the things we appreciate on a daily basis, or keeping these little blessings in a book? And what ends up on the list…is it only the Facebook worthy happenings, the best that we want everyone to see, maybe that great Black Friday find, or is it something deeper like that quiet stillness we might treasure before the rest of the house wakens, or the very breath of life that keeps our heart pumping and our mind alive? And when we acknowledge all that we have to be thankful for, what do we do with it? Does it transform our life or just become another thought in the jumble of the thousands we have each day.

In Luke 12:48 (NKJV), we are told, But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

So in summary of the passage, when we are given much, much is required of us. “Much of what”, you might ask, to which I respond, “precisely”. It’s about much of whatever. The passage is built around the idea of one who has more of something being called upon to offer it up. If we have more knowledge than someone else, we are called upon to share that knowledge and accept the accountability we might have when we must make decisions on behalf of others. The passage also suggests that what we are given, we are given with a purpose and there is something required of us from that abundance. We aren’t just given more to have more, we are given more to offer more. If we tell someone we love that we appreciate them, yet never reciprocate their kindness, will they feel appreciated just because we’ve said it? When we offer from what we have been given, that may translate into offering from our finances, our health, wisdom, time or talents. It is essentially a call to live generously where we are, with what we have been given.

So as we reflect on this season of Thanksgiving, and all the blessings we acknowledged over the past few days, may we consider not just what we have, but also the purpose behind the blessings and how our abundance might best impact the lives of others. In truth, the best way to demonstrate true gratitude is through a spirit of generosity, which is always a wonderful way to enter into this beautiful season of giving. Let us give, now and throughout the year, from a heart of gratitude.