The Holiday season is upon us! Is your turkey ready? Dressing made? House cleaned? Travel plans finished? Car ready for travel? Where are your kids? There is work to do. Everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving (and looking forward to Christmas). Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

We may have forgotten the most important thing about Thanksgiving—to be thankful. The Christian attitude of thankfulness is summarized in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.” God prescribed a thankful heart, and this is our appropriate response to living in God’s presence. We should always be like the Psalmist Solomon who said, “Bless the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things: And blessed be his glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen” (Ps. 72:18).

A lack of thankfulness is the cause of so many troubles. Adam and Eve weren’t thankful for what they had and wanted something other than what God gave them so they ate the forbidden fruit. Instead of trying to figure out the future for ourselves and make our dreams happen, we should be content with and thankful for God, his will, and his provision. Our dreams may fail, but God’s purposes will stand. Remember God said to “give thanks” not sometimes or in some situations but “in everything.” One scholar wrote, A prayerful disposition places God at the center of life and knowing his sovereignty (i.e., that he reigns over all things) and his presence (through the Spirit of Jesus) can and should produce joy and inspire thanksgiving” (Gupta, 1-2 Thess., 114).

If we are going to be ready for Thanksgiving, we must remember that the why of our thankfulness comes from the One who makes us thankful in any situation.