The days leading up to Thanksgiving are upon us, which means the holiday season is rapidly approaching. This time of year always stirs something in me. Maybe it’s the shift in the air or the way this season invites us to pause and pay attention.
Thanksgiving may be one day on the calendar, but gratitude is a continuous posture of the heart. If we’re honest, gratitude isn’t always easy. Some years it comes naturally; other years we have to dig deep for it. Unfortunately, life doesn’t stop being life just because the calendar tells us to give thanks.
Perhaps, that’s the point.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Thanksgiving invites us to remember the steady stream of mercies that carried us through the year. Mercies we didn’t always notice in real time. It calls us to look again, with clearer eyes and a softer heart, at the ways God has been present in our journey. For God has been there, even in the times we suspected He wasn’t.
As I reflect on this past year, I think about the people God used to pour grace into my life. There were friends who encouraged me at just the right moment. There were the strangers whose compassion reminded me that kindness isn’t dead and the folks whose resilience, honesty, and hope continue to teach me what faith looks like in the real world, even now.
Thanksgiving refocuses our lens.
It gently nudges us to slow down, breathe deep, and take stock of the blessings we’ve received; big and small, loud and quiet, obvious and hidden.
As we head toward Thanksgiving week, I invite you to take a few minutes to consider the things that strengthened you, surprised you, challenged you, or restored you this last year. Those are the moments that matter. They shape us and remind us that God has been walking with us every step of the way.
My prayer for you—for us— is that this season draws you closer to the people you love and even closer to the One who loves you most.
May we enter Thanksgiving with open hands, honest hearts, and renewed gratitude.
Be salty, stay lit.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
You can now find my articles in The Christian Grandfather Magazine.
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Thank you for such inspiring writing, true and refreshing! ~ Rosie
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Thank you SO much, Rosie. I’m grateful for you. 🙏
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Congrats – just highlighted in the Special Edition – Giving Thanks ~ Rosie
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Thank you, FGSJR2015, for sharing your perspective so thoughtfully and transparently. I can hear the tension you’re naming. It can be a struggle holding gratitude in our heart while knowing so many still lack basic necessities. Having worked with unsheltered people I’ve felt that same weight at times.
For me, giving thanks isn’t about ignoring suffering; gratitude lives alongside lament. And prayer, at its best, doesn’t gloss over injustice but shapes our hearts toward compassion and action.
Your questions are both honest and
important, and you’re always welcome to bring them here. I appreciate you stopping by my blog and taking the time to share your thoughts and perspective.
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Most theists say grace before they eat. I instead openly state that I’d be quite willing/happy to be consistently sincerely thankful for every meal if everyone on Earth—and not just a portion of the planet’s populace—had enough clean, safe drinking water and nutritional food to maintain a normal, healthy daily life. And I’d be genuinely pray-fully thankful if every couple’s child would survive their serious illness rather than just a small portion of such sick children. As it currently is in this unjust existence, what I mostly feel on the matter is genuine/sincere guilt.
I realize it’s still socially awkward to question one of historical humanity’s largest and most sacrosanct institutions — prayer, and perhaps even saying heartfelt thanks to an omnipotent/omniscient deity. But I — a big fan of Christ’s unmistakable miracles and fundamental message — know I’m far from being alone in having a problem with thanking God for relative trivialities, such as a big-money-making professional sports-team’s win, especially with hunger regularly happening internationally.
Lastly, is it only me, or is there some truly unfortunate, bitter irony in holding faith and hope in prayer when unanswered prayer results in an increase in skeptical atheism and/or agnosticism? (On the other hand, what makes so many of us believe that collective humanity should be able to enjoy the pleasures of free will, but cry out for and expect divine mercy and rescue when our free will ruins our figurative good day—i.e. that we should have our cake and eat it, too?)
Either way, while the superfluously rich never go without, too many other people are choosing between which necessity of life they can afford — nutritious food or warm shelter.
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Fabulous post, with so many good points. Thank you for this heartfelt encouragement.
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Thank you 🙏 I hope to as long as the Lord is willing to let me.
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Yep, just rare with the watered down messages we hear today, even from churches and Christian blogs. Keep writing! ~ Rosie
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Thank you, Rosie. Yes, I’m echoing the words of James—count it all joy for we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness.
I think surprises help us build our anticipation and grow our confidence in hope, like when we were kids at Chrsitmastime. The challenges grow us, too. All of it makes us who we are, beautiful creations of God.
I’m grateful you stopped by to read my post today. May the Lord bless you richly.
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Like this “take a few minutes to consider the things that strengthened you, surprised you, challenged you, or restored you this last year” We hear to give thanks but it’s rare to hear to give thanks for the challenges and surprises too! ~ Rosie
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