A Different ThanksGIVING

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is focused on others and expressing how blessed we are. I was sitting here thinking of how I can put Thanksgiving in a different perspective. I looked at the word Thanksgiving and it donned on me. Hey, there are two words here: thanks and giving. Obviously, but it hit me differently…

The First Part of the Word: Thanks.

Usually that is what we associate Thanksgiving with— being thankful for what we have. Calling ourselves blessed for what God has given us on this earth. (Notice that turkey and football are not mentioned, although they are things God has given us.)

It is wonderful to have one day a year devoted to recognizing how absolutely BLESSED we are. Being thankful for the people in our lives and the things we have. Pretty straight forward.

The Second Part of the Word: Giving.

This really hit me hard. When this holiday was created they named it and for some reason they put the word “giving” in there. When I first recognized that I thought it was very interesting because we do not usually think of this holiday as a “giving” holiday. Usually that is Christmas. Maybe they just switched the order so that it will still be one word but the meaning is: give thanks. However I took these words a step further and added on to the traditional meaning of “give thanks”.

Giving is an act of worship and appreciation… to who? To God. God has given each and every one of us so much. Far more than we deserve.

For me this was an awesome reminder that I have been given so much. I have been so very blessed with the things I need and some of the things I want.

The other day my dad and I were having a heart to heart and he asked me what he could give me that would make me happy (there is more to the story but this is the part that matters). I was stumped. I honestly could not answer him. I thought and thought but I could not come up with anything that would make me happy.

It was then that I realized that my happiness didn’t come from material things but only from the one who gives it all—our Father God.

That was just a side note. If our hearts are in the right place we should be content and truly thankful for what we have and not wanting more than God has blessed us with.

Since God has blessed us, we do not need to hoard and keep all that blessing hidden safely away for no one else to partake in. We need to GIVE IT AWAY. We need to pass along what God has blessed us with to others so that they might see the power of giving and see Christ through us.

I do not know what your blessings are… but you do. They come in many forms, sometimes in the form of time, people, words, material possessions, wisdom, money, anything that is of value to you that God has given to you. Take that “thing” or “idea”, whatever it is and give part of it away. Use it to further God’s kingdom. Use it to bless someone else. This is an act of you giving thanks to God for all that He has done for you.

I love this leaf. It is a blessing and reminds me how simple yet fulfilling life is when your heart is in the right place.