Every year around this time, people all across America prepare for a holiday we call Thanksgiving. The name itself sounds powerful. It sounds spiritual. It sounds like something filled with purpose. But if you stop and ask someone what Thanksgiving was originally about, you might be surprised. Most people will talk about turkey, family, food, and time off from work. Very few will mention anything about taking time to acknowledge the goodness of God. Yet that is precisely what the first Thanksgiving was meant to be. It was a day set aside to pause, breathe, reflect, and give thanks unto the Lord who had brought people through danger, sickness, famine, and uncertainty.
As time passed, the meaning changed. Now Thanksgiving has almost become a routine. Families gather, plates overflow. People watch football or scroll through their phones. And when the day is done, they go back to life as usual. If you asked someone what they are thankful for, they would probably need a moment to figure it out. Not because they have nothing to be thankful for, but because they have gotten so caught up in the busyness of everyday life that their gratitude has been buried under schedules, deadlines, and distractions.
I understand this, because it happens to me too. This year is almost over, and if I am honest, there are goals I set that I have yet to reach. There are projects I planned that I never completed. There are things I thought I would have accomplished by now, and I am nowhere near them. I tried to stay positive, but I found myself complaining more this year than I have in a long time. I had to stop and remind myself, sometimes out loud, to quit complaining. Complaining was not helping me. It was not changing anything. It was only pulling me away from the mindset God wanted me to have.
When I get frustrated, I sometimes think about people who remain positive even while facing challenges I could not imagine. I see videos of toddlers who scream and cry because they do not want to put on their glasses. But the moment those glasses settle on their little faces, and they see clearly for the first time, their entire expression changes. Their eyes light up because they are finally seeing what everyone else sees every day. I have also seen videos of people who have never heard sound. When their hearing device is turned on, they burst into tears because they are hearing their first word, their first laugh, their first voice. Others are born without limbs or lose them through illness or injury, yet when they receive prosthetics, they celebrate those first steps like they won the Olympics.
Those moments do something to me. They remind me that people all over the world face real struggles, real limitations, and real pain. Yet many of them wake up every morning grateful for what they have, instead of being upset about what they do not. They do not have perfect lives, but they have thankful hearts. And sometimes, that is the difference between joy and misery.
It made me think that perhaps we need to spend a little more time thanking God for what we have instead of focusing on what we do not. When we wake up in the morning, we should say, “Thank You, Lord,” because someone went to sleep last night and did not wake up today. Life is not guaranteed. Tomorrow is not promised. Every breath is a blessing, even when life is not going the way we want it to.
My mother used to tell me things that confused me when I was younger, but as time went on, they made perfect sense. If I ever complained that my hands were too big or my feet were too long, she would say, “Be thankful for big feet and big hands because some people do not have feet or hands at all.” And as strange as that sounded to a child, she was right. When I joked that my head was too big, she told me, “Be thankful for your head because some people do not have one.” I used to laugh because she reminded me of the mother in Forrest Gump, who always had a way of explaining things in a simple way children could understand. But now, as an adult, I see the wisdom in her words. The point was never about the size of anything. It was about being grateful.
So be thankful. Thank God for life. Thank God for breath. Thank God that He sent His only begotten Son so that we could be saved. Thank God that He gave us the name of Jesus, a name with power, a name we can call on when we face challenges that feel too heavy. Gratitude may not remove every obstacle, but it strengthens you while you face them. A thankful heart is a stronger heart. A thankful heart is a peaceful heart.
And when you feel yourself starting to complain, or when you catch yourself in the middle of it, take a moment and redirect your thoughts. The Bible is clear about how God feels about complaining. It is not something He takes lightly. He wants us to walk in gratitude, trust, and faith. Here are scriptures that speak directly to this.
Philippians 2:14 through 15 says, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.” God calls us to live differently from the world. Complaining steals our witness and dims our light.
1 Corinthians 10:10 warns us, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” This scripture refers to Israel in the wilderness, where murmuring carried heavy consequences because it reflected a lack of trust.
Numbers 14:27 records the Lord saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel.” Their complaining displeased Him because He had rescued them, guided them, and provided for them.
Numbers 11:1 also says, “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord. And the Lord heard it. And his anger was kindled.” Complaining is not harmless. It is a sign that gratitude has faded.
Jude 1:16 describes people who “are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts.” A complaining spirit is connected to self-centeredness and unbelief.
Now here are scriptures that refocus the heart on gratitude.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, “In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Not for everything, but in everything. Gratitude positions your heart correctly.
Philippians 4:6 reminds us, “Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Even when you pray, thanksgiving should be present.
Colossians 3:15 instructs, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts and be ye thankful.” Gratitude and peace walk together.
Psalm 107:1 says, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever.” Gratitude is rooted in understanding the goodness of God.
Ephesians 5:20 encourages us, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thankfulness should be a lifestyle, not a seasonal act.
When we live with a thankful heart, we see life differently. We complain less. We appreciate more. We recognize God in the small moments. We stop taking forgiveness, mercy, grace, breath, and opportunities for granted. And most importantly, we learn to trust that God is working even when we cannot see how.
Thanksgiving should not be confined to one Thursday in November. It should be the posture of our heart every day. Because God has been good every day, even on the days when life was not.
So be thankful. Not because everything is perfect, but because God is faithful.
By
G. Edward Wyche