Introduction
The last Thursday of November will soon be upon us—Thanksgiving. Every year, I find myself asking, “What do I have to be thankful for this year?” For many, that question is not an easy one to answer. Some years weigh heavier than others.
In April of 1996, my twelve-year-old son went home to be with the Lord. That was a year of unbearable sorrow for my wife, for me, and for our remaining children. This grieving continues to this day. More recently, the year 2020 brought hardship to the world on a scale few could have imagined. COVID struck, lives were lost, businesses collapsed, and hearts were broken. The nation was divided; evil seemed to advance while righteousness appeared to retreat. And amid these global storms, the ordinary trials of life—strained relationships, illness, financial strain, and the death of loved ones—continued their relentless march.
So once again, the question arises: What do we have to be thankful for this year?
At first glance, it may seem a question born out of despair, the sigh of a weary soul searching for light in a dark season. Too often, when we ask it, our minds immediately turn to loss, disappointment, and pain. But pause a moment—are we not Christians? Is there not a God in heaven who reigns as our Father, who watches over us, meets our needs, protects us, and blesses us by the power of His Word? Where, then, is our faith? How much of this do we really believe?
If salvation in Christ were the only blessing we possessed, would that not be enough for eternal gratitude and celebration? Surely, we who belong to Him—redeemed, forgiven, and loved beyond measure—have far more reason to give thanks than those who have yet to encounter the saving grace of our Lord and Savior.
Thanksgiving Day is a beautiful time to pause, reflect, and rejoice. Yet I often wonder why we wait until a single day in November to express what should be the daily posture of a believer’s heart. I know friends who break into spontaneous thanksgiving whenever the Lord blesses them in some extraordinary way—a sudden healing, a prayer answered, a door opened. Their joy becomes an act of worship.
Why can’t we live like that?
In America, Thanksgiving may be a national holiday, but for Christians, thanksgiving should be a way of life. Let us celebrate not only the day set aside for gratitude, but every moment when the goodness of our Lord breaks through the ordinary and reminds us that—even in loss, even in hardship—His mercies are new every morning.
History
Most of us know the story of Thanksgiving, though its roots run far deeper than the familiar images of Pilgrims and feasts. Long before European settlers set foot on the shores of North America, Native American tribes gathered to give thanks for the harvest—honoring the Creator for the earth’s bounty and the rhythm of seasons that sustained them.
The first recorded Thanksgiving service by Europeans in North America came in 1565, when Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, Florida, paused to offer gratitude to God. Yet the celebration most often remembered is that of 1621, when the Pilgrims joined the Wampanoag people in a shared feast of peace and provision. It was not called “Thanksgiving” then, but it embodied the spirit of it—a humble recognition that every blessing, every harvest, every breath, is a gift.
Centuries later, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln—amid the nation’s darkest hour of division—declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. He hoped that gratitude might unite a fractured people, turning their hearts once more toward God and one another. For reference, click here.
Only serious historians of the Civil War can come close to understanding the devastation that war brought on our country. You just had to be there to fully understand. The point is, in making Thanksgiving a National Holiday, Abraham Lincoln understood that our nation needed unity and healing. Today, we Americans also need unity and healing. This alone gives us reason to celebrate this year. Look what God has done in the elections for America. Look what God has done for Israel. Yes, we still have worldwide conflicts and always will, but the hand of God Almighty is at work. We see it. Granted, there is still division and many world conflicts, but unity is often a process, and true unity can only come through a covenant relationship with our Creator.
Why We Aren’t Thankful
The answer to this question lies deep within the history of the human heart—our mind’s rebellion against God. We are not thankful because our thinking remains worldly. Though we are told that when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, the renewal of our mind begins, few of us truly submit to that transformation. The journey from a carnal mind to a spiritual one is neither swift nor easy; it requires the surrender of our natural thoughts for those that are, by every measure, supernatural.
To think in the Spirit is to see through the eyes of God. Yet when we do, we find that nearly every instinctive, earthly thought stands in opposition to His. Thanksgiving is no exception. Our natural reasoning asks, “What have I received that I should be thankful for?” or “What blessings have I enjoyed this year?” When the answers seem few, bitterness creeps in, and gratitude fades. Thanksgiving, then, becomes a hollow tradition—a holiday reserved for others, not a posture of the heart.
But this is where the conflict begins. For God calls us not to conditional gratitude, but to continual and unconditional thanksgiving. The command is clear:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” —1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
True thankfulness is not born from comfort but from revelation. It flows not from what we possess, but from Whom we know. Even the angels who stand before the throne cry out:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” —Revelation 7:11 12 (ESV)
To be thankful in all things is to acknowledge that God is sovereign in all things. Gratitude, then, is not merely an emotion—it is worship.
Do you not want to worship God? Are you not ashamed? Have you not committed to Him? Do you not have a relationship with Him? If you say no to any of these questions, you need to renew your relationship with Him.
God’s University
We all encounter troubled times—none are immune. Yet for the Christian, these seasons are not meant to destroy us but to strengthen us. They are divine classrooms where our faith is tested, stretched, and refined. I often call it God’s College or God’s University—a school of the Spirit where the lessons are hard and the tuition is paid in tears, perseverance, and trust.
It is a rigorous school, and not everyone graduates. Many, as the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 reminds us, fall away when trials come. But for those who endure, the Holy Spirit Himself is the Teacher. His “yes” is yes, and His “no” is no. He does not teach theories or abstractions—only the living truth forged in the furnace of experience. Here, faith must be more than words; it must work. And if we refuse to let faith do its work, we too will become spiritual dropouts.
Do you remember the Broadway play Fiddler on the Roof? In it, the Jewish villagers of Anatevka sing a joyous toast in the face of uncertainty, celebrating life even as they stand on the edge of hardship:
To life! To life! L’chai-im!
L’chai-im, L’chai-im, to life!
God would like us to be joyful,
Even though our hearts lie panting on the floor;
How much more can we be joyful,
When there’s really something to be joyful for!
So let us be joyful—not for ease or comfort, but for life itself, and even more, for life in Christ. For that alone, every day should become a day of thanksgiving.
Conclusion
We must learn to live in gratitude—for what we have, and for all that has been given to us through the boundless grace of God: our salvation, our very lives, our families, and every good gift that flows from His hand. True thanksgiving does not arise from what we see in the natural, but from what we perceive
in the supernatural. Only then can we know genuine joy—not the hollow imitation of joy that fades with circumstance, but the abiding fruit of the Spirit that springs from Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Do not strive to manufacture it. It cannot be earned, forced, or summoned by effort. It is born of surrender. Simply be—and be thankful.
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4–5
There is another way to see Thanksgiving Day in America. As it falls in the final week of November, it stands as a sacred threshold—a gateway leading us into the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas, despite all the noise of commercialism, remains a season of wonder and grace—a time to gather with family, to love our friends and neighbors, and to share the light of Christ with the world. Be thankful for this divine gift. For Christ alone is the reason for the season, and through Him alone, life entered the world.
The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep to life itself. David McCarthy
So let us awaken—and begin being thankful now. Don’t wait. L’chai-im, to life!
Enough Said
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
