Thankfulness

Recently Sue and I have been watching a mini-series about the inspiring, real-life story of Miep Gies, who played a key role in hiding Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. It’s really well-made and helps the viewer appreciate not just how hard it was for the Frank family, and so many others, to remain in hiding for such a long period, but also how frightening and how tough it was for those who risked their lives to support them.

In a scene that we watched last night, those in hiding were celebrating Hanukkah with the meagre rations that were available to them. Their sense of gratitude for simply being alive and able to be safe together really got me thinking. How grateful am I for the simple things of life that I far too easily take for granted?

Psalm 136 is an example of many psalms that declare gratitude to God, with twenty-six verses of thanksgiving, topped and tailed with the exhortation to ‘Give thanks to the LORD, the God of heaven.’

When Jesus shared another Jewish feast with His disciples, that of Passover, He too gave thanks for the bread they were about to eat, which would represent His body broken for them. And for followers of Christ, this has given the backdrop to our celebration of Communion, (also called the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist). At this, a prayer of thanks is frequently spoken for the bread.

But thanksgiving shouldn’t just be something reserved for special occasions, but rather an integral way to live life. I love what Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8: ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.’ These words remind me to be thankful for the basic things of life, things that we too easily take for granted.

I’d like to suggest that being rich in life is not getting what we want, but being thankful for what we have.
So maybe, as you look forward to whatever today might bring your way, why not give thanks for the things that you do have, and may thankfulness become your very own life of celebration.