1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Colossians 2:6-7  Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Psalm 69:30  I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 28:7 –The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

Colossians 3:15  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The verses above epitomize the concept of thanksgiving to us as Christians. We are challenged throughout the year to maintain an attitude of gratefulness to the Lord for all he has done and continues to do for and in us.

Thanksgiving Day causes everything in life to slow down a bit more (except for all of the wonderful people doing the cooking) than usual and turns my focus toward my family. Ultimately, I reflect upon the gifts God has given and entrusted to me. Gifts of relationships I have with my wife, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins and the like. I am thankful to the Lord, who is the giver of these gifts that bless my life. I am also thankful to those gifts themselves.

Sometimes our family members bring out the best in us, some the worst in us. Thanksgiving meals aren’t all lovey-dovey. We all have the sweet mother, the quirky aunt, the odd uncle…or maybe we are the odd uncle. Anyway, we all have moments where we roll our eyes and think to ourselves what we are really thankful for is that we only have to share Thanksgiving/ Christmas with so and so instead of every day of the year. There is probably a reason you aunt is quirky. There is likely a reason your uncle is odd. Sometimes it is challenging to accept the fact that someone with whom you share genetic makeup can think and prioritize things so differently than you. But all people have weaknesses. All people have pain. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Be prayed up and full of Scripture so that you can have words of life, words of encouragement to speak to those in need as you pass the green bean casserole or cream cheese carrots.

Reflection and articulation of how I cherish my familial relationships should not be limited to a couple of holidays. It should and must extend throughout the year. We know to cultivate a heart of gratefulness to God throughout the year, and so we must invest significant time and energy into tending to our relationship with him. It is both arrogant and foolish to assume we can maintain and enrich our relationships with those closest to us without this same intentionality.

Take time tomorrow. Take time next week as well. It is good to have feelings of thankfulness. It is better to articulate them to those to and for whom you are thankful.