I have always felt that Christmas is without a doubt my favorite holiday of the calendar year, but recently I have considered changing my mind. Don't get me wrong, I still love Christmas. But allow me to make a case for Thanksgiving. Think about this. What do we really love about Christmas? Is it the actual day called Christmas? Or is it the season of Christmas? Sure, when we're young kids we love Christmas Day because of the presents and the excitement of the day. But as I have gotten older I recognize that what I love so much about Christmas is not the actual day, but the anticipation of the day. I love the sounds, the sights, the smells, the tastes, the spirit of joy that seems to saturate the Christmas holiday.
Think about the day after Christmas. What does it feel like? Back to work for many. Gathering the receipts and the bills. Looking around the house trying to decide where to begin the de-decoration process. Making room for new toys. Making plans to lose the holiday weight that was gained. Yep, the difference between the day before Christmas and the day after Christmas is almost like night and day. Which brings me to my first point about Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving kicks off the anticipation of Christmas. Christmas Day is the end of the Christmas holiday. Thanksgiving is the beginning of it. How about a few superficial (yet valid) points: on Thanksgiving the food is as good, if not better, than on Christmas; on Thanksgiving you are guaranteed lots of good football, and on Christmas it is just hit or miss for the sports fan; on Thanksgiving you get to spend time with family without the distraction of presents getting in the way. It's a holiday that doesn't break your wallet in order to prepare for it.
Yep, I'm liking Thanksgiving better and better every year. Maybe I'm just getting older. That's probably what it is.
But if you will allow me for just a second to take this topic a little more seriously, I will share something with you that I came to understand just a few years ago regarding “thanksgiving”, and living a life of constant thanksgiving. I always thought the verses in the Bible that spoke of "giving thanks in all circumstances" to be a little strange, or perhaps just hard to understand. Why would a person be compelled to give thanks when they were in pain? What would cause a person to want to give thanks when their kids were sick, or they were struggling to make it financially? It just didn't make sense.
That is, it doesn't make sense if you read it like this... "give thanks for all circumstances". The text says that we should "give thanks in all circumstances." So I do not give thanks for the things that cause me pain or hardship. But I am compelled to give thanks for this reason. As a child of God, I am able to recognize that all circumstances, whether good or bad, have the capability to draw me closer to Jesus. And for that I give thanks.
You see, it's about Jesus. It's about seeing him more clearly, and about loving him more dearly. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. When you devote your life to loving God, you truly can give thanks in all circumstances, because you know that He is working it out for the GOOD of you who love Him. Being closer to Jesus is the best circumstance you could ever find yourself in. If that's God's desire... to bring you closer to Jesus regardless of where life's circumstances bring you... then you can truly give thanks for that.
Comments