Beyond Just Thanks

Most people acknowledge the good in being thankful, even for our physical health. So we dutifully keep our lists in November and pass around our reminder memes. Elementary school classes will be counting their blessings on paper cut-out turkey feathers. No matter how much we hate the duty station or the current situation, we try to find something positive about it… at least during the week of Thanksgiving.

But too often, people stop there. Many don’t even direct their thanks to the true source of their blessings. They thank the universe, their lucky stars, and their own efforts. And when circumstances get hard, their Thanksgiving falls flat.

Giving thanks to the God of the universe can be a rich and deep experience that helps us recognize the goodness of God in our lives. It is an acknowledgment of the giver of the good gifts we receive. And being close to the giver helps us keep the gifts in the proper perspective—undeserved blessings from God, not bartering chips that determine our gratefulness to God. Being ungrateful is a sin. (God’s words, not ours!)

The spiritual benefits of thanksgiving include deepened faith as we pause to remember what God has done in the past and promises for the future. Whether we are facing difficulty or the best days of our lives, Scripture reminds us:

Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (CEV)

So when we go over our Thanksgiving lists with our children this year, we can practice looking past the gifts to the true giver, Jesus Christ. Thankful for the color green? Consider the creativity of God in speaking the vast forests into existence. Thankful for food? Talk about God’s generous love for us that he would give us things to enjoy together. Thankful for family? Thank God for being your heavenly Father and for giving you the opportunity to be his child, now and forever.

And no matter how hard things are, we can always be thankful for Jesus and a loving Father who made it possible for us to have the right relationship with God. We can teach our children that the hardest life is one without a relationship with God.

PRAY

Yes, Lord! Thank you for the color green and sunsets and campfires and stars and my child’s smile. Thank you for Jesus giving us a way to know you. Amen.

TIME TO TALK

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Questions: What are you thankful for? List them on a piece of paper.

Apply: On your Thanksgiving list, add another column naming the attribute of God each item points out—his love, his creativity, his power, his generosity, etc.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand their Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

1 Samuel 12:24

Romans 1:21

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Tonia Gutting wrote this devotional for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website.www.myherosquad.org.