Thanksgiving Day
The act of thanksgiving is actually a quite nuanced and interesting one as there are several important elements involved. First, in order to be thankful for something, one must first have the capacity to appreciate its value. The ability to recognize the inherent goodness or worth of a thing is a critical part of this process. We cannot properly judge the value of things if we are unable to see or understand them within the proper context. A major element of thanksgiving is the ongoing growth that we experience in the context of the Christian life as we are continually transformed and become increasingly able to perceive things as they truly are in relation to God.
The next part of thanksgiving is an acknowledgement of the good things we experience. As our capacity to recognize the good increases, so also does our appreciation of the good things we enjoy in every moment of every single day. From the very air that we breathe to the love we share with those in our lives, we become more and more aware of the worth of even the most minute aspects of these things. Part of this natural response to our appreciation is the desire to outwardly express it to others, perhaps most of all to the source giver of the gift.
God is the author of all that exists, of every good thing, and all that we have and are. As we celebrate and give thanks this day for all of the many blessings we have received, let us be especially mindful to recall that the source of all good things is our tender, loving, compassionate Lord who provides for us in every possible way.