Thanks a Million, Lord

By Robin Caldwell

Thanksgiving Day Message

“And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9: 14-15)

I woke up and felt this power surge of gratitude run through my entire body. It was priceless. Words of praise and worship poured out of my mouth. My spirit was so thankful to God; I decided to literally count my blessings.

How have ye blessed me, Lord? Let me count the ways … I can’t!

There was no way I could count all of the blessings I’ve received from God, because the list is inexhaustible. There were many, many things missing from my list, including the things, people, and circumstances I found difficult to be grateful for. There were the things I’d have no earthly knowledge of whatsoever, like the times God worked behind the scenes to bless me, even spare my life. Obviously, I needed to be grateful for a lot more than I had the human capacity to recognize. And for that alone, I said, “Thanks a million, Lord,” and laughed at my little pun.

The debt of gratitude I owe God cannot be repaid with mere thanks here and there. Though His Word says, “too whom much is given, much is required,” I would be hard-pressed to give as much praise and thanks as He has given me blessings.

My spiritual mother, Bunny, taught me years ago that thanksgiving is a lifestyle and not merely a day. While I thought that was just fine and acceptable, I assured her that while I understood what she was teaching me, I was not quite ready to give up my Thanksgiving Day turkey, cornbread dressing, collard greens, and two slices of sweet potato pie just yet. She assured me that I didn’t have to give any of it up. Her only concern was that I keep it all in perspective: Thanksgiving is a lifestyle and not merely a day.

What does thanksgiving as a lifestyle encompass? Well, it has to encompass or include obedience to God’s precepts. Obedience to God is certainly one way to say thanks and show gratitude. Smart children show their appreciation by simply doing as they are taught and told.

It also involves giving thanks in all things. To thank God for the good, bad, and downright ugly is a sign of mature faith. To thank God even for the small things is a major sign of gratitude. It is also a show of trust and an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty and total control. And, it acknowledges that God is the giver of all things, our wonderful provider.

Thanksgiving as a lifestyle also includes foregoing meaningless and chronic complaining to accept that “all things work together for the good…” Murmuring and complaining bugs God because it is a definite way of telling Him we are unappreciative of the great and small things He does. (I’m still trying to work on that one.)

A few Thanksgiving Days ago, I recall that my family was behaving any way but thankful. A relative, the host, complained about everything from the food to the tardiness of guests to the weather. Some of my relatives dismissed the work that went into the dinner and headed straight for the food without so much as paying a compliment. And to add to the stress of the day, no one offered to help in the post-dinner cleaning, except me, and even I did it out of conviction.

Bowing our heads for all of two-point-five seconds for the blessing of the meal was an afterthought and certainly not enough thanks to God for our lives, our fellowship, our host, and our meal. I honestly don’t remember if Jesus’ name was even mentioned. We were thankless to say the very least.

I vowed that I wouldn’t spend another holiday under those conditions. I vowed that I would rather eat a hamburger from a fast food restaurant, alone, than be subjected to the chaos, not to mention the duress. And I vowed that one day of thanksgiving just didn’t cut it.

Bunny was right. Thanksgiving is a lifestyle and either you live it or you don’t. One day and one group prayer over a meal was not enough. I needed to live my praise and worship of God all year long.

Most of all, while I appreciate the occasional power surge of praise and worship; I know that I cannot wait for those moments to happen. Sometimes, especially when I don’t feel like it, I have to offer up a sacrifice of praise to my God, and I have to muster up a little thanksgiving. Trust me, I am not doing God any favors by doing so, that I know for sure. However, I also know that practice makes perfect and it is my desire to become more grateful and thankful in the model of my Savior.

Whenever Jesus gave or received anything He gave thanks to the Father. When He was in peril or facing tremendous temptation, He gave thanks. And, His greatest sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving came when He was about to go to the Cross.

Amazing.
Don’t try to list everything you are grateful for or even count your blessings, there isn’t time. There is time, however, to ask the Lord to make your hearts merry, joyful, and grateful for the things you know to be grateful for, the things you cannot bring yourself to be grateful for, and the things you know not to be grateful for.

During the course of your Thanksgiving Day festivities or even your solitude over a TV dinner, which is even harder, I know; take time to bless the Lord with thanksgiving. Take a second to say, “Thanks a million, Lord.” And, trust that He has and will continue to bless you in a million more ways during the course of your life.