I realize that what is expected at this time of year is a blog detailing all the many things I am thankful for but it will probably not be a big surprise to anyone that knows me that I am taking a different slant on Thanksgiving this year.Typically our thankfulness is voiced at the table where everyone goes around and tells what they are thankful for or, in our social media society now, posting 28 days of things on Facebook. Things like our families, our homes, our jobs, our churches, our friends. And don't get me wrong, we are truly thankful for all these things and it is certainly not wrong to be grateful for them. But I'm a teacher and I'm beginning to believe that being in education is a terminal illness. My teacher brain asked a different question.
What does it really mean to be thankful?
Words fascinate me and I'm so glad Webster chose to take on the seemingly mundane task of defining all the words in the English language. Here's what the dictionary says about the word thankful.
thankful: adjective : conscious of benefit received
Conscious of benefit received. Okay, that starts my mind buzzing but I want to go farther. One of the definitions for conscious is personally felt and one for benefit is promotes well-being. Now I have something to work with. If being thankful means that I am personally feeling something that promotes my well-being, let's apply that definition to some of the things we mentioned.
My home. When I get up on an extremely cold morning like today, I can personally feel this benefit when I throw back my covers and climb out of bed. I don't have to worry about frost bite or freezing to death which definitely promotes my well-being. This is a physical benefit.
My family. I can personally feel their love for me, their support and encouragement which in turn promotes my emotional well-being. This is an emotional benefit.
My church. I personally feel them holding me accountable to study the Word, help others, and strengthen my faith. This promotes my well-being by pushing me to be more Christlike in everything I do and say. This is a spiritual benefit.
I think you get where I'm coming from. We can apply this definition to all the things we're thankful for and be able to place everything in one of those three benefit categories: physical, emotional, spiritual.
But let's not forget about the last benefit category. The most important one of all. The eternal benefit. Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross so that each and every one of us have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with Him. That is the ultimate benefit and you can't get any more personal than that.
So my challenge to you (and to me) this Thanksgiving is not to just verbalize what you are thankful for but also why. Let's be conscious of the benefits we've received.
Happy Thanksgiving!
