11/26/2024
By the time you read this, you will most likely have your Thanksgiving plans all mapped out. You'll know where you will be celebrating Thanksgiving, what preparations need to be made, and whether you’re dreading or delighting in what is to come.
My hope is that this Thanksgiving becomes more about action than reception. In other words, is Thanksgiving for you centered around receiving great food, receiving nice naps, and receiving time in front of the TV watching football? Nothing wrong with those ways to receive, and I hope to receive them myself. But have you stopped to think about how Thanksgiving is about an action of thanks, not receiving thanks?
This idea hit home with me through my bumbling efforts to learn Spanish. I discovered that “Thanksgiving Day” in español is día de acción de gracias. It seems pretty straightforward except for the word acción, which doesn’t mean “giving” but “action.” Giving is an action, but the emphasis is placed on the act of giving thanks. Literally, Thanksgiving Day in Spanish is “day of action of thanks.”
What a concept—a whole day dedicated to actions of thanks. In truth, our expressions of gratitude are simply responses to God’s actions. We give thanks for what God has done and continues to do in our lives. By receiving God’s blessings, we are called to respond with hearts full of gratitude, showing it in our words and attitudes. And yes, this includes choosing not to act grumpy or ungrateful, for gratitude is as much about our demeanor as it is about our declarations.
I was in the Czech Republic the past two weeks teaching for TCM, a graduate school dedicated to developing Christian leaders throughout the world (tcmi.org). I asked several of the students to tell me about Czech culture, and they all agreed that their culture focuses on the negative more than the positive. I responded by saying, “Unfortunately, so does our American culture.”
But we can change that, and Thanksgiving Day can be a start.
At the beginning of this month, Laura gave our family “Gratitude Journals.” She asked us to write down three things we’re grateful for every day. It takes less than a minute to do, but it reaps a reward of helping create a mind shift from grumbling to grateful. It’s an acción de gracias.
Maybe this Thanksgiving, you can begin your own actions of gratitude. You can verbally share a grateful heart. You can write down words of gratitude. You can demonstrate gratitude by serving, helping, assisting, cleaning, and perhaps even doing the dishes after the Thanksgiving meal (!).
Whatever acción de gracias you implement this Thanksgiving, try turning it into a daily practice, not just a one-day-a-year activity. If we want to change a family culture, a church culture, and a national culture from grumbling to grateful, we need actions of thanks that can extend throughout the year.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV).
