Thanks and Giving

Day three hundred twenty-eight

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving.  It is a day dedicated to giving thanks.  But as I thought about how to make my Thanksgiving Day more meaningful, I discovered the importance of looking at this one word as two separate words: Thanks and Giving.  

Thanks 
I have talked about the quote board that my family uses in previous posts.  What started out as a chore board ended up being a place for us to silently express some of our deepest thoughts. The latest thought on the board is:  I have been blessed with...

Each of my family members has responded to this thought.  Some responses have been funny and some have been profound.  My husband’s response was deeply profound for me.  His response was one word - enough.  

I have been thinking about his answer more and more as the holiday drew nearer.  This is the time of year when people aren't looking to be satisfied with what they have, but looking forward to what they will get when Christmas Day comes. Amongst this frenzy of want, here is a person who understands that what he has is enough.  His answer gives truth to the saying, "He who can give thanks for a little will always find he has enough." We may not have all that we want, but the reality of it is that we truly do have enough.  

As I search through my mind to make the traditional list of what I am grateful for on this day, I think at the top of my list will be: A husband who helps me keep my perspective.  He has an amazing gift of teaching with simplicity that I truly appreciate. In the spouse department the Lord has blessed me with more than enough!  

Giving
While researching for one of my posts I came across this quote:

"The circumstances of your life have uniquely qualified you to make a contribution. And if you don't make that contribution, nobody else can make it."  ~Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

What a great gift we have been given in our uniqueness.  We have been designed and nurtured to complete a job specific to us.  Because of this we know that the Lord is ever present in our lives, helping us develop into this perfectly unique being. 

Did you notice that as a unique being we are asked to make a contribution?  We have to give something back to the Lord for the privilege of becoming who we are.  He has a job for us to do and the best gift we can give Him, the best way we can say thank you, is to do that job.  

Thanksgiving has become more than just being grateful for the blessings in my life, it has become a day to think about how the Lord is trying to use me to do His work.  Deeper questions pop into my mind: Am I giving Him everything I can?  Are there things in my life that I need to change so that my contribution, my special job, can be accomplished?  

What I thought would be just another Thanksgiving day has turned into something so much more.  My gratitude for what I have been given has been greatly increased and my understanding of who I am, and what I need to be giving, has grown.  I have discovered a spiritual side to Thanksgiving that I hadn't recognized before. It is more than just being thankful for what I have, it is also a time to reflect on, and improve on, the things I am willing to GIVE to the Lord.  

On this Thanksgiving Day I hope that everyone's hearts will be filled with gratitude for having enough.  I also hope that their hearts might be filled with joy for their uniqueness and their opportunity to use it to give to the Lord and draw closer to Him.  May Thanksgiving be a day to not only feed our bodies, but also our spirits! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!