Thorns to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day, the crown jewel of November, makes us think about gratitude, if only by default. Our national psyche has undergone a 180-degree change on the attitude of thankfulness. A spirit of self-praise and entitlement now typifies the average American. Spirit-filled people must resist the prevalent view which trash thanksgiving and exalt the self. Do the following attitudes describe the way you feel?

I deserve the good things I get. If the truth were known, few of us can really claim credit for anything. Our parents gave us all our genes, our backgrounds, our training and the opportunities we enjoy. Health, soundness of mind, strength and life itself come straight from the hand of God. If we got what we deserved, we would all be dead or lost.

I have a right to blessing and prosperity. This humanistic attitude springs from pride. In the strictest sense of the word, we have a right to nothing. The farmer who doesn’t sow has no right to a harvest. The lazy worker who calls in sick or hides to get out of work has no right to full benefits. You can only expect to get out of something when you put something into it. Even those who work hard in a failing company have no universal right to remuneration. Prosperity will always be worthy of thanksgiving because it is something that none of us can ultimately control.

If I don’t get what I want, I’ll sue. Frivolous lawsuits, embittered litigants and outrageous claims burden our justice system. Many courtroom battles are little more than adult tantrums. If we think we have a right to everything we want, it follows that we will go after those things regardless of the cost. It is a system based on bullying, threatening, and selfish aggrandizement. There is no room for thankfulness here.

I only recognize greatness in myself. The modern sports cult is one of many indications that we have turned into a nation of prima-donnas. Athletes, rock musicians and celebrities strut themselves before the world in self-adulation. Gone is a sense of modesty, deference and humility. In its place, boasting rules. Those who stumble into the limelight do not say, “Thank you for making me what I am.” Instead, they growl, “Thank me for allowing you to be in my presence!”

God? Who’s he? Just about everybody believes in God these days. Trouble is, few people in the world pay much attention to Him. They are theoretical believers but practical atheists. Only as we maintain a constant awareness of the presence of God in our lives will we live in a state of thanksgiving.

Nobody helped me get where I am. Surly, angry, and sulking, many people carry around a chip on their shoulder. They view life as a huge contest of “me against them.” They pride themselves in not needing anyone else. What they mistake for self-reliance is more like mistrust and belligerence. They honestly do not believe that anyone has helped them in life. Unfortunately, they eventually wound or destroy the people that mean the most to them. Thanksgiving can save such people from a world of hurt.

Thanksgiving is weakness. To the contrary, thanksgiving is the highest and best illustration of strength. Only those who have the right perspective on time and eternity, rights and responsibilities, self and others, and humanity and deity can truly understand the power of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving says to others, “I recognize that you are very important to what I am today.” When we say “Thank you,” to God, we are saying, “Without you, Lord, I am nothing.” To God be all the glory!

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5