Thanksgiving 2006

My favorite cowboy story about thanksgiving comes from a poem by Cowboy Poet Waddie Mitchell. It seems that Thanksgiving was nearing and in the bunkhouse the cowboys were discussing the merits of the day. They were mostly agreed that we should count our blessings and give thanks. All that is except Mr. Hawkins who was known as a pretty salty peeler, one of the best bronc busters on the range. Mr. Hawkins allowed that he did not have a thing that he owed thanks for to anybody. He was a self made man, taught himself to ride and made his own name in the world. “Thanksgiving,” he said, “is just another day for folks to stuff themselves with Turkey.” It wasn’t for him.

“Not so,” said Mr. Waters, “I think you have more than most of us to thank the good Lord for.”

“And how do you figure that?” Hawkins asked.

“Well,” said Mr Waters, “if the good Lord hadn’t split you up to the middle you wouldn’t be able to ride a horse at all; then where would you be?

Paul, the great apostle wrote, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18 NIV). Our prayers of thanksgiving are for all times, not just the good times or times of celebrating a victory. We are to be thankful all the time and in all situations. We thank Him when the sun is shining and when the dark clouds seem to overwhelm us. We thank Him when things are going well and when it's difficult. We praise Him for who He is and thank Him for His goodness in all things.

The psalmist said, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations" (Psalms 100:4, 5 NIV). There's something very special when we come into the presence of God with a heart of praise and thanksgiving. He inhabits our praises. He fills a grateful heart with His love and goodness.

A grateful heart is one that recognizes who God is and what He has done. A grateful heart is one exercising faith. It's looking to God as the Source and Sustainer of everything in our lives. It's seeing Him for who He is and believing He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). The bottom line of a grateful heart is that it recognizes that the very nature of God is one of goodness. He's perfect in His goodness. Even when "bad things" seem to be happening to us, He remains faithful and His goodness isn't hidden. He's still there. And He loves us. When we understand that, we will humbly bow before Him and worship Him. Worship flows from a grateful heart.

We celebrate the day of Thanksgiving in America as a remembrance of the coming of the Pilgrims in 1620. There were Europeans in the Americas long before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth. Not to take anything away from these pioneers of religious liberty but the American spirit has always been one of celebrating thanksgiving and recognizing the hand of God in our fortunes. Thursday will be a good day for each of us to count our blessings and give Thanks for God’s love.