THANKS LIVING IS THANKSGIVING!

“But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

Blessed Thanks Living on this Thanks Giving Day, in the name of Jesus!

Today is much more than a holiday celebrating a special day on the calendar called “Thanksgiving”. It is rather another day given to us by God for us to practice “Thanks Living”! With the choirs of the young and old around us, we can sing, or at least say:

“Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son. And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong, let the strong say, I am poor because of what the Lord has done for us.’ Give thanks!”

1 Corinthians 15:57, says it another way: “….But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are thankful because we live on “this side” of the Resurrection. That means that we are empowered to be “thank-filled” people every day as we share our gifts, our time, and our energies with those around us who are still stuck on “Good Friday”. We are sent to proclaim the Good News of Jesus through word and deed to all people, young and old, as we share health and hope, thankfully and creatively.

Here are “12 Thank-Filled Signs” that reveal how we celebrate Thanksgiving every day, as we give thanks to the Holy One:

1. We give thanks to the Lord every morning as we awaken to a new day of blessings and challenges.
2. We have chronic positive expectations – the tendency to frame events in a positive light.
3. We have regular signs of joy in living.
4. We have an increased sensitivity to others’ needs.
5. We have a tendency to adapt to changing conditions.
6. We look for the “good” in people rather than picking out the “bad” in people.
7. We have a compulsion to care for other people, rather than to cure them.
8. We have a tendency to identify and communicate our feelings.
9. We have repeated episodes of gratitude and generosity.
10. We have a persistent sense of humor. We are known to even laugh out loud!
11. We have a life centered in the forgiveness of Christ!
12. We daily affirm that our baptism assures us of our calling as God’s sent-out people. So let’s get going as together we proclaim Christ to the least, the lost, the last and the lonely.

Happy THANKS LIVING, every day, as we “give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercies endure forever!”

Prayer
Lord of Thanksgiving, thanks for filling us with your love, forgiveness, and “thanks living” so that we can continue to point others to you, the Giver of all good things! In joy and thankfulness to you, Amen!