Every January, like most Americans, I begin the arduous process of pulling together bits of paper in order to prepare for April 15th. Tax return time requires me to look back on the past year and recall what my income was, how much I paid out in mortgage interest, how much I gave away to charitable causes, and other relevant financial information. I put a lot of time into this process. I have to. April 15th looms and makes little allowance for slackers.
Every November, like most Americans, around November 1st I begin to think forward to the fourth Thursday of the month. This year November 26th. Thanksgiving day looms. A lot of side issues surround that day. Of course, we all know it precedes the unofficial holiday called "Black Friday." It usually involves a lot of planning. We think about who will join us for a meal or to whose house we will go for that meal. Grocery stores will be filled with shoppers frantic to get all the Thanksgiving meal necessaries. Thanksgiving has also become a big football day. And lets not forget the parades!
All of these things are fine and frankly quite enjoyable to me. But I have to remind myself that it is a good idea to actually spend some time doing a review of the past year and think about what I have to be thankful for. Just as I do a "year in review" to prepare for April 15th, I think I will do a "year in review" to prepare for November 26th.
Thanksgiving is an American holiday. It is not a Biblically mandated celebration - at least not in the sense that we have to do this on the fourth Thursday of November. Actually, we are told to give thanks in all things and be to be thankful in all our prayers. To not be thankful is to go against the will of God. But while the holiday is not a must for the Christian, the holiday provides us with a reminder to think and be thankful.
The words "think" and "thank" are closely related. If we think about life, the blessings we have experienced, and the gifts we have received we will be thankful.
So as you do all the other preparation - food buying, inviting and house cleaning - take some time to prepare your soul to really observe Thanksgiving Day.
- Get alone with God
- Seriously review the past year
- Make a list of all the reasons you have to be thankful
- Verbally give thanks to God
- Express gratitude to others through whom you have been blessed
This will make Thanksgiving more than just a day to stress over stuff, but a joyful day of celebration.
For more information about the history of thanksgiving as an American holiday visit the following sites:
Google Thanksgiving Holiday Timeline
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