Thanks and Giving

I have always loved the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. For many years it meant having dozens of college students and single adults in our home from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. More recently, it has been a quiet day with my Mom and Dad and any of our children that could make it. Absent all the hype and commercialism of Christmas, it is just a good day to relax, relate, reflect and, of course, be thankful.

A week or so ago, however, I saw something different when I looked at the word “Thanksgiving.” I saw, of course, the word “thanks,” but it was as though the word “GIVING” just jumped out at me in big bold bright letters, and what I was thinking of was more than giving thanks, as important as that is.

What occurred to me was that as we give thanks for what God and others have done for us, we need to be filled with a spirit that wants to give. We don’t have to be wealthy to give—the poor widow in the Gospel story and the poor Macedonians of 2 Corinthians 8 show us this. It is said that indifference looks for an excuse, but love finds a way. In the same manner, a thankful heart will look for and find a way to give.

The world is always full of people in need. A global recession just means there are even more.  Food banks and other groups report that demand for their services is up 25%.  This same recession means that many of our churches have less than what they need to keep advancing the message. Some of us know individuals with big debts from medical expenses. And then there are the people of Haiti.

This year, how about we offer thanks, but put some fresh emphasis on our own  “giving.”