What Thanksgiving Can Bring
by Rebekah Siah
As followers of Christ, we are always taught to be thankful to God and to offer our thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father. But how often do we practice this? And how aware are we on what this offering can bring?
This has been something that I am trying to cultivate in my life. Every night before I shut my eyes, my mind runs through the entire day in search of things that I am grateful for. Adding to this is the practice of pondering on the day and journaling my thanksgiving to God.
Every day, there are tons of events to be thankful for, be they new or old. Yes, even in the hardest and darkest points of life. Personally, the darkest trials are the ones that had the utmost process in refining and moulding me to be another better version of myself and so will it be for you. If it has been difficult to grasp this part of ‘deep valley’ moments, perhaps it is time to try and kickstart a daily thanksgiving to our Beloved Father who never fails to be with us.
“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 69:30
Our thanksgiving to our Father magnifies Him in all situations in our lives. It begins with simple appreciation. For instance, I am grateful for the various foods that are laid before me every meal every day. I am grateful that I never have to starve. Even when it comes to protection, there were multiple times when I just managed to avoid accidents and it was because of the mighty hand of God! Instead of cursing other drivers for their carelessness (or sometimes it may be us without us wanting to admit it), express a prayer of gratitude that there are no occurrences of minor or major accidents. Instead of throwing curses, why not express thanksgiving? It makes a whole lot of difference in life and it makes you a better you because thanksgiving has the power to change our focus to God instead of our fleshly emotions.
Magnify Him for all that He has provided for us. Be grateful for the tears, for in those moments, could it be our healing is on the way? Be grateful for shelter, for don’t we know that there are tons of children roaming on the streets? Be grateful for transportation. We don’t have to walk for hours to our destinations as some people do. Be grateful that we have mobiles or laptop and some of us even have both. We are some of the most fortunate individuals if we think about it. Be grateful that we have clean water. Don’t we know there are some people who do not have clean water to drink? Be grateful that we have family and friends. Be grateful that we have clothes to wear. Be grateful that we have a job. Be grateful that we are able to afford the necessities in life. We don’t have to compare ourselves with others. If there is one thing that we lack in life, it doesn’t mean that we lack in everything. Be grateful that we are breathing. There is so much to be thankful for in life.
The power of thanksgiving also helps us to walk through our darkest hours in life. It navigates our minds and thoughts on the positive side of events even when things are hard and to focus on the promises of God and that He is with us always. Especially in our ‘teary’ seasons, for it is in those seasons where we find Him extremely intimate. Isn’t that wonderful and beautiful to know that His hand has never once left us? He is magnified! Joy comes every single time and a shout of appreciation burst out from our lungs! Excuse the exaggeration but it’s true as I have experienced it in many ways. The gates of hell can never prevail, because our thoughts and emotions are under control and we can even find joy in loving and fearing our Heavenly Father.
When there is thanksgiving, we are prepared to face storms in life. This is a transformed mindset that knows that it is for our good that our God allows storms in our lives, for it is then that we are able to grow and give more thorough testimonies that glorify Him alone. Through these testimonies, we are magnifying Him even more.
Cultivate an enduring habit of exclaiming gratitude. Every. Single. Day. And see yourself becoming a positive and joyful person instead of a complaining, murmuring individual. Remember God with every little blessing that comes our ways as it brings us to a posture of humbleness recognising that it is through His blessings that we do not only have what we needed, but also what we wanted.
About Rebekah
Due to her reading pleasure, Rebekah Siah is currently pursuing MA in Postcolonial Literature in UKM and this significant path kickstarts her enthusiasm in understanding humanity through writings as it enables her to dissect the works of worldview and incorporate Kingdom-view into humanities. Besides reading, she enjoys writing, composing, and playing music as platforms to express herself.
Rebekah’s life as a child of God has been an amazing one. As one describes, life is a roller-coaster ride where every sense of emotion comes into place but there is always a reminder of the goodness of the heavenly Father. ‘Every ride of ups and downs in life is so much more beautiful with Jesus than a smooth ride of life without Jesus’.
