Are We Taking the “Thanks” out of Thanksgiving?

A few days ago as I was watching the morning news, they advertised a special story that would be covered over the next few days on the evening news. I thought, “This might be interesting with Thanksgiving coming up. Maybe it will be about how thankful people are.” Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead the story was going to focus on just how un-thankful people are for what they have and how to help them obtain even more stuff that might make them “happy” and “thankful.” The story? “How to save big on Black Friday.” I’ve noticed this year that there are pre-Black Friday sales, and some stores are even going to be open on Thanksgiving day so you can start shopping for Black Friday on Thursday!

Now, don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with saving money and taking advantage of a sale. I love a good bargain as much as the next person. I try to be a good steward of the money that God has given me. But I’m afraid that just as we’ve taken Christ out of Christmas, we are taking the “Thanks” out of Thanksgiving and focusing more on the buying and “giving.”

So, out of respect for a holiday that is supposed to be about being thankful, here are my top five:

1. Jesus Christ who loves me, died for me, and saved me.
2. My new ear! My cochlear implant has had a profound impact on my life. I’m thankful I can hear on the phone, hear birds singing and crickets chirping, and hear my daughter (even if she is really loud at times!)
3. My husband’s new job after being unemployed for quite some time.
4. Family and friends that love and support me and make it possible for me to do my job at AiG.
5. The blessing of working for a ministry that doesn’t compromise on God’s Word and upholds its authority from the very first verse.

I’m thankful, too, for all my blog readers. It’s such a blessing to see that close to 400 people are reading my blogs each week! Just as you support and pray for me, please know that my prayers are with you, too. I hope you’ll take some this Thanksgiving to be thankful.