Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving thanks is far better than grumbling to get your way
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord…” (Psalm 92:1)
Scripture states it, but we fail to do it. Why? Why is it that we concentrate more on negative issues than we do the positive? We are seeing this in our economy. We saw it in the election. And unfortunately, we see it in our families. Everywhere we turn, be it television, radio, even print, the concentration is on the negative. Negative news sells. It’s a known fact. It makes me sad to see the discontentment in our world. This attitude that says “it’s never good enough” has got to go.
The Bible says: "Oh that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:8-9
He (God) is the only One who can satisfy our soul. If we take notice of the many blessings in our lives, we will begin to look at life with a different view. As we come to the realization that nothing we have is our own and understand that everything we are entrusted with is His, then maybe we would appreciate all He has entrusted us with.
Thanksgiving is a time to stop and look at life, past, present, and future and reflect on the many treasures we’ve encountered in the past, those we are currently experiencing and those we will soon be blessed with. It is not the only time we should do this however, but unfortunately it is the only day many take the time to do so. Thanksgiving is and should be a daily celebration, not just a once a year feast.
I love what Melody Beattie wrote: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
If we would realize that the blessings we’ve received, well out number the ones we’ve shared; if we’d agree that our unworthiness does not deserve the many gifts God has bestowed our way, maybe if we appreciate what we have rather than continually grumble about what we don’t , just maybe we’d be a happier generation, a more pleasant world.
Dietrich Bonheoffer is quoted as saying: “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
What a shame. We, being the blessed nation that we are, have become so ungrateful. We fail to see the many joys that are set before us. Rather than looking at our children as blessings, we look on them as burdens. Instead of accepting our job as an opportunity, we see at it as a weight. We dissect our relationships, focusing on the negatives; rather than magnifying the positives. And I could go on and on. It’s sad. Life is not supposed to be this way.
We are a sick nation running from doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital because our stress levels are high and our fears are great. We smile less and cry more. We argue and fight rather than love and share. All because we are a dissatisfied people who refuse to be thankful.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil. 4:6

“There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.”-- Author Unknown
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30
The time to count our blessings is not when things are going good, instead; when things are tough. When we learn to focus on the good in life, things change and quite often what changes is us. Not so much the outcome but how we perceive our circumstance.
Willie Nelson got it right when he said: “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” "Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1