Being thankful

  • Published
  • By Chaplain (Maj) Olga Westfall
  • 94th Airlift Wing Chaplains Office
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. --  As we approach a season of Thanksgiving we usually get very busy with many things: food preparation, getting family together, for some "Black Friday" (day after Thanksgiving sale) and often, in the midst of all the business and stress we forget true meaning of Thanksgiving.

I would like to invite you to pause and reflect on the goodness of God. It might have been a challenging year and you are concerned about your future, but if you are honest with yourself, you will see God's hand on your life and His goodness. After all, you are still alive and you are reading this article that reminds you about God's provision and our thankfulness to Him.

One of the most beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving & His courts with praise; give thanks to Him & praise His name. For the Lord is good & His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has been truly blessed by God. And of all those who "give thanks to Him and praise His name" should be at the top of the list!

It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for New Years. But there is another list we often overlook, a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful.

Like you, I'm sure, my list would include the major things life, health, family, friends and the nation we live in, despite of all its flaws. But even more than that, I'm thankful to God for the gift of faith and the mercy that He showers upon us each day.

Has it ever occurred to you that no Americans were more underprivileged than that small handful from the Mayflower who started the custom of setting aside a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God? They had no homes and no government agency to help them build homes. Their only means of transportation were their legs. Their only food came from the sea and the forest, and they had to hunt it for themselves. They had no money, or a place to spend it. They had no amusements except what they made for themselves, no means of communication with their relatives in England, no social security or Medicare.

But anyone who dared to call them underprivileged would probably have ended up in the stocks, for they did have four of the greatest human assets: initiative, courage, the willingness to work and a boundless faith in God.

Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn't commemorate a battle or anyone's birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our nations thanks to God. But it is often just the opposite, isn't it? And one would assume that because of the example of our forefathers, and because today we have so much, that we would be an extremely thankful people. The more we get, the less thankful we become, the less mindful of God we are and the more we want.

I would like to encourage you to maintain an attitude of gratitude. I pray that this will be a meaningful Thanksgiving season for you and your family. Take time to read the 100th Psalm again. And as you think and ponder upon those words, may your heart overflow with thanksgiving unto the Lord.

Click below to read pervious articles from our Chaplains Corner:
Seeing struggles as opportunities for growth
Don't let "garbage trucks" ruin your day
Ferrell's farewell
Living the life of faith