- photo by Susan Page“Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past, I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.” - Henri Nouwen
Do you have memories from childhood of your parents instilling the importance of proper manners? Remember the phrase “What’s the magic word?”
An attitude of thanksgiving is more important than the utterance of the word. If you think about it, Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful holiday and we love it for multiple reasons, but really, Thanksgiving in a day?
Although I appreciate proper manners, our home did not model an attitude of thanksgiving. Family members expressed critical words more than praise. Have you ever heard the expression that some people complain that roses have thorns while others rejoice that thorns have roses?
Remembering to look at life, even when facing multiple trials, with a perspective of gratitude, is one of the best examples we can pass on to others. It is vitally important to model a spirit of thankfulness to our children. It will set them on a journey of giving to others because they have learned from our actions, which always speak louder than words.
The Psalms are full of wonderful praises to God for His gifts of abundance. Jesus modelled thanks in His everyday walk on earth. The Apostle Paul speaks of thanksgiving multiple times throughout the Epistles.
It would be impossible to pick favourites out of all the choices of verses on Thanksgiving but here are a few that we could “hide in our hearts.”
- “Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!” (Psalm 95:2)
- “Give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”(1 Thessalonians. 5:18)
- “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians. 5:20)
- “Oh, give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” (Psalm 105:1)
- “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians. 4:2)
- “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him, my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” (Psalm 28:7)
May we always be humbly aware of how truly and deeply blessed we are. Thank you!
Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.