Well hello there friend! It is my honest wish that you have a great Thanksgiving holiday next to the people you love. I know you're probably looking forward to disconnect from the daily affairs of life and clear your mind, so I'll keep it short.
As a kid, and whenever I was in a bad mood or complaining, my mom used to tell me: "be thankful, things can always be worst than what they are". Fast forward 20+ years, no surprise here, she was right. Throughout my journey as a christian I've come to realize that one of the most important things one can do is to learn to thank God for the good things He provides. To learn to recognize His blessings towards us. To learn to be the "glass half full" type of person. It is by routinely practicing being thankful and being appreciative of what we have and can do, that a steady and swift transformation in the way we look at the world that surrounds us occurs. The Bible says:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
In His infinite wisdom, God knew (and knows) the effect that being thankful has on the human character. Note how the verse uses the word "always". I know, thanksgiving is the nationally-recognized day to be thankful, but being thankful should never be a one day thing. God says it needs to be an "always" thing. By being always thankful, God's blessings opaque the "needs" or "wants" out of life. Life, then, turns from feeling like a burden, to a joyful experience. Don't have the job you want but you have a job? Be thankful. Can't eat the food you want but there's food on the fridge? Be thankful. Have a place to put your head on at night? Be thankful. Can you open your eyes in the morning and see the sunrise? Be thankful. All things considered, there are almost always more reasons to be thankful than reasons to complain about. Start being thankful, and see how your outlook in life changes.
Things can and likely will get tough for everyone on earth at some point during our lifetimes, Jesus warned us as much in John 16:33. But here's the beauty of it... when you feel there's absolutely no reason to be thankful for anything, remember that for as long as there's air in your lungs, Jesus' invitation and call still stands. Things might not be great here, but He gives us the hope that He will make it up to us. He paid your price, and He's coming back to get His people... and this is the best thing to be thankful for at night. Going to sleep knowing that there's more to life than what this world offers. Going to sleep knowing that there's a God that loves us.
Food for thought.
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