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Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving

Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving, design by Adobe SparkNo question, Thanksgiving Day stirs up thoughts of pilgrims, turkey, and pumpkin pie. But is it possible to find God in the holiday?

The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you know what. 

When they landed, they gave thanks to you know who. 

Because of them, we can worship each Sunday you know where.

A fourth grader’s report on the first Thanksgiving when the classroom teacher requested students make no reference to God (source unknown).

While believers remain disturbed about Christmas devoid of God, what about the holiday before the birth of Christ?

How Do We Find and Keep God in Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving celebrates more than pilgrims and gobbling up turkey.

First, review this summary of definitions for gobble:

1) The sound a male turkey makes.

2) To eat, devour, grab, or use something up in a speedy or greedy way.

And some definitions also cite to eat noisily. That’s another article on etiquette but try not to do this at the Thanksgiving table.

“To gobble” suggests:

  • An action without reflection beforehand.
  • No careful consideration of the devoured item.
  • No gratefulness of where the means derived.
  • A general lack of thankfulness for the provision.

But to give thanks—maybe like the first Thanksgiving—we are grateful for our “haves” without begrudging our “have-nots.” And as the pilgrims, we carry a thankful heart for the place we’ve landed, whatever it looks like for each of us.

#Thankful for the cornucopia of many #blessings received and yet to be given from our Maker. Click To Tweet

Abundant Provision and Freedom

Because we see ample cynicism in the media, government, society, and perhaps in us. There’s a lot of ungrateful gobbling going on.

Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving, Design by Adobe SparkStill, we rise above the negativity when we remember this truth. We always have plenty to be thankful for.

But we often lose sight of giving thanks for freedoms. And no matter how we have to say it, like in the fourth grader’s report, we do say it, and we carry thankfulness in our heart.

Often, a sigh of relief is spoken with “Thank God!” Maybe we received good news from a medical report or found out our loved one wasn’t hurt in an accident. Wonderful things to be thankful for.

Yet, thanksgiving—real thanksgiving in our heart—overflows in gratitude more than one day a year. And continual grateful gobbles define our lives and our character.

Not just as a relief that something turned out good in the end. But thanking God, that in the end, we understand all good things come from Him.

Gobbling and Fullness

So before gobbling up a turkey leg or piece of pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, contemplate the fullness in our lives because of a generous God.

Grateful people are #generous people. Generous people are #grateful people. Click To Tweet

Then consider how we show ourselves to be generous people. What does it look like in daily life? How is grateful and generous displayed in our communities and in our world?

Because we see the hungry, the homeless, and those without basic needs—the “least of these” (Matthew 25:35-40).

#Generosity helps others, models #Jesus, and shows the world true thankfulness. Click To Tweet

So this Thanksgiving season, thank God for fullness of stomach, life, love, family, freedoms, and for every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations” Psalm 100:4-5 AMP.

Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving, design by Adobe SparkSpecial Thanksgiving Note: I post an article every Thursday by Girl Friday. But I will not be posting a new blog next week on Thanksgiving Day. Instead I’ll be with family and giving thanks. Wishing you and your family a wonderful day full of gratefulness and thanksgiving and praise to God. Happy Thanksgiving! 

© 2017 by Karen Friday, All Rights Reserved

Images are of my barn-wood table, front door, and turkey-shirt I found for my grandson. Image text courtesy of Adobe Spark.

Sometimes I participate in these link ups:

Susan B. Mead/Dance with Jesus, Meghan Weyerbacher/Tea and the Word, Donna Reidland/Soul Surviver, Lyli Dunbar/#FaithOnFire, Crystal Twadell/Fresh Market Friday, Crystal Storms/Heart Encouragement, Meg Gemelli/GRITupAndGo, Suzanne Eller/Living Free, & Married by His Grace/Salt & Light.

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November 16, 2017 at 9:32 am | Uncategorized


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It’s so easy to point people toward being grateful for what they have materially, but you are right that we need to lift our eyes (Col 3:1) and train ourselves to see and be grateful for all the intangible things that we have in Christ. Maybe a 2:1 approach would be good. for every one thing we’re grateful for on earth, we list 2 spiritual blessings that are ours that can never disappear. thanks for your thoughts.

Karen says:

Thank you, Karen. And appreciate your thoughts too. That’s good stuff, for everything we give thanks for here on earth to also give thanks for 2 spiritual blessings. For we know that in Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! Now that’s something to shout and praise Jesus about!

Arlene Collins says:

Thanks, Karen. This is beautiful and VERY useful!!! Blessings this Thanksgiving!

Karen says:

Arlene, thank you sweet friend. I appreciate your encouragement and commenting. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. We serve a generous and good Father. Praise His name! Hallelujah!

Happy Thanksgiving Karen!

I give God thanks always for you and your family! This is a wonderful message on giving thanks…love the tweets!! <3

Karen says:

Thank you, Marla. Happy Thanksgiving! May we be grateful for our “haves” and not begrudge our “have nots.” A grateful and generous people.

Lisa notes says:

We could spend the rest of our lives doing this, he has been so good to us! “Contemplate the fullness in our lives because of a generous God.” Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Karen says:

Yes, Lisa, we absolutely could! Thank you, Lord, for full lives in every way, physically and spiritually, eternal life and abundant life, all because of You! Happy Thanksgiving, Lisa!

KellyRBaker says:

Wonderful thoughts on being thankful year round for all our blessings. It’s easy to focus on what we don’t have but really we have so much. Love the fun shirt for your grandson. Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, Karen, and many blessings!

Karen says:

Thanks, Kelly. It is easy to focus on our have-nots. Yet, real thanksgiving in our heart overflows in gratitude more than one day a year. And continual grateful gobbles define our lives and our character. Appreciate you stopping by and commenting. Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours!

I love your idea of having “a thankful heart for the place we’ve landed, whatever it looks like for each of us.” Sometimes we wish we were in some other situation instead of where God has actually placed us, but God knows that being content and thankful where we are is best for us and for those around us.
I also love that 4th grader’s report! So cute and funny. 🙂 My kids love to say “Made you look!” I wonder if this child was thinking, “Made you think it!”

Karen Friday says:

Yes, Ruth, it does make you think. We continue to lose freedoms in the world where it pertains to God. So grateful that He ordains our “places of landing.” Hope your family has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Rob Moore says:

Thanksgiving blessings to you and your family Karen! And as always, very appreciative of your thoughtful and insightful writing. Truly helpful.

God should be the center of our thankfulness, and it begins with gratitude for Jesus and the cross.

From there, the blessings of this life, family, friends, church family, house, food etc cascade into our lives from the Heavenly Father.

Take care,

Rob

Karen Friday says:

Amen, Rob! Thankful for the cross, the blood of Jesus, and an empty tomb. And for every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. For goodness, grace, mercy, true love. Praise and thanksgiving to the Lord Almighty every day of the year! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Karen, I appreciate your distinction between gobbling and fullness. I’ll be pondering that this week as I prepare for Thanksgiving. I hope you have a blessed holiday with your family!

Karen says:

Thanks, Sarah. May we be thankful to a generous God from whom all blessings flow. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lesley says:

I enjoyed reading your thoughts here, Karen! I always wonder when people who don’t believe in God celebrate Thanksgiving, who are they giving thanks to? Hope you and your family have a great time!

Karen says:

Thanks, Lesley! Yes, I know what you mean. How do you give thanks if you don’t know the giver of everything we have? Grateful to know the Lord and worship Him with a thankful offering of praise! Happy Thanksgiving!

Leslie says:

Karen, that poem from the 4th grader is so creative. Loved it! Thank you for your thoughts and your focus on generosity. Blessings to you and your family this coming week!

Karen says:

Thanks, Leslie! Yes, I love that poem! It reminds us that culture and the enemy will try to stifle us pointing to the real source of gratitude and blessings…God. Oh, may we enter His courts with thanksgiving and a thankful offering. Appreciate you commenting. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Such a good point about gobbling vs gratitude! Thank you Karen, that will stick with me!

Karen says:

Thank you, Bethany. “Cynical” seems to run rampant these days. I pray the Lord makes us aware of our heart and whether true gratefulness lives there. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lizzy says:

Very good points! I like the quote about generous people being grateful people. Coming over from By His Grace Bloggers.

Karen says:

Lizzy, thanks. I do think grateful and generous go hand-in-hand. And if models Jesus to the world. Happy Thanksgiving!

[…] *Note: I will not publish a blog post next week since Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. Read my post, Finding God in Thanksgiving. […]

Chip Mattis says:

I agree with you, Karen. We do tend to dive into consuming our meal, or enjoying any blessing really, before being postured in gratitude. At least I do. I tend to be so focused on the enjoyment I’m about to get that I lose sight of the blessing it is to have it. I tend to think of myself as a generous person, full of gratitude, but really in my heart of hearts, I’m selfish and impatient.
I’m so thankful that God is gracious and he knows my heart. He knows I know I’ve got nothing but what he’s given me. I just don’t say it enough.
Great reminder to be thankful before I dive into the great things he’s given me.

Karen says:

Hey Chip, I like that, “being postured in gratitude.” We do tend to be focused on the “thing” instead of the means, the provision instead of the provider, and the gift instead of the gift-Giver. Thanks for your thoughts!

Hi Karen. I think, even though meal time is one of the times we most often pray as a family, that our thanks is sometimes a formality before we indeed gobble without thought or thankfulness. We so need to cultivate gratefulness and generosity in our daily lives. I think not only of those I see in our community, but also of me and my family. Thank you for this throwback that is relevant maybe even more today.

Karen says:

Thanks, Stephen. Yes, it does often become a formality…a ritual. And it it’s not true gratitude in our hearts, we are no better off than those who impose religious traditions of men. I like your word, “cultivate.” May God help grow a lasting attitude of gratitude in our lives.

Karen,

I especially love the thought that grateful people are generous people. That’s so true. And when we aren’t grateful, we tend to hang onto what we have with greedy fists. Thank you for the reminder to examine my heart to see if I really am having a true attitude of thankfulness.

Karen says:

Thank you, Stephanie.

It proves true with me. When I’m grateful, I’m more generous with my money and time and service. In turn, when I’m generous to others, a gratefulness rises in my soul for all the Lord has given me and for the great things He has done. I realize I’m blessed beyond measure.

“Before we gobble, give thanks to God.” What a great reminder to remember who gave us all the blessings we think about during Thanksgivings. In fact, He is our biggest blessing in our life. Thanks Karen.

Karen says:

Yes, He is, Yvonne! Just as we bring our tithes and offerings to God because we are truly grateful to Him and for His goodness, we also offer Him a “thank offering.” Thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord.

Love the definitions of gobble–and they certainly fit Black Friday creeping into Thursday. Our family tradition includes each person at the table listing three things we’re thankful for. Sometimes we’re profound, and sometimes we’re funny. But gratitude is the goal.

Karen says:

That’s a great tradition, Nancy. We did the same thing this year and we had humor thrown in as well. May we carry a thankful heart for the place we’ve landed, whatever it looks like for each of us.

[…] More on gratefulness in my blog post, Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving. […]

[…] An article from the past, Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving. […]

[…] An article from the past, Grateful Gobbling: Finding God in Thanksgiving. […]

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