Living Out Thankfulness This Thanksgiving - The Crosswalk Devotional - November 24

Living Out Thankfulness This Thanksgiving
By Vivian Bricker

Bible Reading
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).

Thanksgiving is a cozy holiday where we come together to be with family. Most of us have to travel long distances to meet up with family. Even though it’s been awhile since we have seen them, it is just like old times again. Sadly, noy everyone has this type of family or their family has passed away. If you still have a family and they are lovely, then it might be hard to relate to those who have difficult or absent families. 

Thanksgiving can bring up mixed feelings for many people, including myself. I love the holiday, yet family life is too difficult. Somehow, it always gets worse around holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. Due to a difficult family member, it makes me dread every holiday. It is a very toxic relationship and one that I try to avoid at all costs. Sadly, most of us cannot avoid these family members because they either pretend as though they have done nothing to hurt us or they try to gaslight us. 

As someone who does have a difficult family member, my heart goes out to you because I know how hard it is. If you have a loving family, I am jealous of you. All I have ever wanted is peace within life, and when family life is disordered, peace eludes you. If you do have a caring and functional family, make sure to give thanks to God for this blessing. Sometimes we tend to take good thanks for granted, including our family, until they are gone.

At this Thanksgiving event, ensure you give thanks for your family. Both in prayer to God and to your direct family, give thanks. It is only because of God that you have a wonderful family. It is also extremely wonderful that your family has made the choice each day to be a loving, caring, and compassionate family. This is a true blessing, and it should not be overlooked. 

On the other hand, if your family is similar to mine, I challenge you to still be thankful. You might be thinking, “What? Why?!” I want you to be thankful for all of the good times, the family members who love you, and for God, who has given you these family members. I’m not saying you have to be thankful for the difficult family member because you should not, but I am saying you need to give thanks for the family members who have helped you get to where you are today.

For me, it is my sister. I don’t know where I would be without her. She is the person who helped me start reading the Bible and gifted me with my first Gideon’s Bible. To say she has been a monumental force in my life is an understatement. I am eternally thankful God made her my sister. Therefore, when I cannot find anything to be thankful for, I am thankful for her. 

In the same way, try to challenge yourself to be thankful for something or someone in your family. It might be easier than you think. Maybe your mom, dad, or sibling got you through a hard time. It is terrible that most families have at least one difficult family member, but we can still make the best of a bad opportunity. In doing so, we will be living out thankfulness this Thanksgiving in an unexpected way.

Intersecting Faith & Life: 

A beautiful passage that helps us to remember to give thanks is found in the Book of Psalms, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1). Psalms were originally sung as they are songs. Psalm 136 is a perfect example of this as we are supposed to give thanks and praise to God through song. We give thanks to God because He is good and His love endures forever. 

This Thanksgiving, reflect back upon this passage of Scripture. Sing it if you want and memorize it. Psalm 136:1 can keep our hearts focused on the Lord, regardless of what we are experiencing. There might be only a small amount of things you are thankful for today, but you can be thankful for the Lord always. He is always good, faithful, and loving. Give thanks to Him for His love truly endures forever.

Further Reading:
1 Chronicles 16:34
Psalm 136:1-26
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/DjelicS 

Vivian Bricker loves Jesus, studying the Word of God, and helping others in their walk with Christ. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master's degree in Christian Ministry with a deep academic emphasis in theology. Her favorite things to do are spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outside. When she is not writing, she is embarking on other adventures.

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