I was recently reading through a post on an internal Lifeway website. The author was talking about Thanksgiving. The essence of the comments was “we really don’t celebrate Thanksgiving much anymore!” The minute Halloween is over (and in many cases even before) Christmas decorations, ads for Christmas bargains, and information about Christmas events abound.
I know that a lot of the reason for this is commercial and the revenue experienced by brick and mortar stores, online shopping and the entertainment industry. However, as I began to ponder where most of us find ourselves on the third Thursday in November, I started to think…and even pray. Do many of us in our family experiences truly plan for ways to help teach our kids and families the importance of giving thanks to God? And if not (as I suspect) what would be some simple, doable activities that would challenge each of us and our families to really make Thanksgiving a day of celebration?
Here are a few that I would list (most of these are certainly not brand new and neither are they difficult to prepare!)…
At your family Thanksgiving gatherings be sure to read Scripture that admonishes all to give thanks to the Lord.- Encourage each family member to verbalize just one, simple blessing for which she is thankful. Consider using sentence prayers by each who would like to participate.
- Have a simple, quick conversation about what families can do between Thanksgiving and Christmas to serve others and show them how God has used them to bless us. (written notes — not emails, acts of kindness (consider doing them secretly), handmade gifts of appreciation)
What would be some other ideas that your family practices that you might share with all of us? Thanks for making comments that can be posted!
Happy Thanksgiving!
