Thanksgiving

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving” -Psalms 69:30

November is considered the month for giving thanks, however, I strongly encourage you to give thanks at other times in the year as well. Every day, God gives us something to be thankful for, even if it is just another day of life. There are so many things we take for granted, yet we need. We need to praise God for all that He does and be thankful for everything.

Anyways, it’s the season of giving thanks, and there is so much I am thankful for. All of my friends and family, my church, my teams and clubs… I’m thankful for them all. Mainly, this year, I am thankful for God taking me out of situations I had no business being in. I have thanked Him almost every day for that, and yet it never feels like enough. So I will continue thanking Him for that.

People, including me, struggle with this: giving thanks year around. We give thanks directly when given something, but not usually for little things or relationships or things that are expected. When was the last time you thanked your parents for raising you? We find it isn’t a direct gift and we believe it is necessary. Even if it is an every day thing that may seem “required,” give thanks for it. The people in your life will love it if you do, and you will begin to realize just what a blessing it is.

Something I want to try this year, and not just in this season, is to show my friends and family how much I appreciate them. I always feel like I get on their nerves, yet they still stick around, and I want them to know how much I appreciate it. I challenge everyone reading this to do the same. No shame in letting those you love know just how much you are thankful for them!

Also, something I’ve learned recently this week, is how giving thanks can boost our joy. If we find ourselves in funks, finding one good thing to be thankful for can change our opinion on it, even if it is just a little. There are some things that suck in this life, but God always has a reason, so that means there is always good either in something or from something. When there is good, there is something to be thankful for.

God has given many blessings to each person. Food, shelter, friends, family, pets, athleticism, musicality, good grades… God has blessed us. Let us show our appreciation of these by thanking and praising God. And let us show the people around us how much they mean to us.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” -Philippians 4:6