Knowing Who to Thank

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a day to remember all of our blessings and reflect upon how lucky we truly are. But in all honesty, we are not lucky. It is not an act of chance that gives us the brand new car we got this year or puts food on our table at every meal, it's God. It is not by happenstance that our bills get paid, our houses are warm, and it always rains right on time. That is the work of a loving and merciful God. Many people will tell you how thankful they are today. But anyone can be thankful. The true beauty and joy in this holiday is not the state of being thankful, but the act of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, according to Webster, is first defined as "the act of giving thanks". The second definition listed even goes so far as to call thanksgiving "a prayer expressing gratitude." What is the point of celebrating Thanksgiving if we're only going to feel thankful, rather than thanking the one who made our blessings a reality? So, I'm going to start off my Thanksgiving Day by doing just that, thanking the Lord for all the amazing things he has given me in life, and I'd like to challenge you to find time to thank him today too.

                    - Abbey, 15 years old