Thanksgiving brings Joy
I’ve been reflecting more about Thanksgiving and thinking about all its benefits. I have observed something as I have read what my friends and acquaintances have written on Facebook. Those who have been actively giving thanks seem very happy and joyful. While I’m sure it is true that when one is joyful, it is easy to also be thankful, I believe the opposite is also true. When one disciplines themselves to be thankful, even when circumstances are contrary, joy rises inside and surprises us. The more we give thanks, the happier we seem to be. So it is not an accident that those giving thanks are also bubbling with joy.
Thanksgiving encourages faith
This leads to a second salutary effect of Thanksgiving– a positive outlook. As we count our blessings, enumerating the people, circumstances, and things for which we are thankful, our outlook toward the future becomes much more sanguine. When our focus is on the good things that have already happened, it is easier to expect more of the same. Sincere Thanksgiving to God leads to growing optimism and greater faith in God.
Family togetherness
Another major value of the Thanksgiving holiday is its emphasis upon family togetherness. In the entire year, only Christmas outranks Thanksgiving in magnetism for drawing families together. Witness the traffic on this weekend both on the ground and in the air, and you see demonstrated the desire of people to be with loved ones on Thanksgiving. How wonderful it is to have this holiday, one big feature of which is helping to bring families together. There is so much in our culture that pulls in the opposite direction. Thanksgiving reminds us of the value of family, both nuclear family and extended family.
Generosity
In addition to these, Thanksgiving spurs generosity and charity. People are moved to contribute to food pantries, church turkey giveaways, etc. because they are thinking about how God has been so good to them and they want to share. This is an attitude that we should have all year long. Hopefully, such actions help make Thanksgiving a time of blessing for the poor also, as it should be.
So when I think of the holidays of the year, Thanksgiving rates high on my list–just behind Christmas and Easter.
I often wonder if we as a culture would be as generous at Christmastime as we are if the Thanksgiving holiday did not immediately precede the Christmas shopping season. Could there be a causative relationship between an attitude of Thanksgiving and a readiness to spend on behalf of others for Christmas?