Why Do We Have to Be Reminded to Be Thankful?

WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE REMINDED TO BE THANKFUL?

Have you ever wondered why we need to be reminded to be thankful? It’s not that we don’t have anything to be thankful for. We actually have the opposite problem, which is an overload of things to be thankful for. We have been showered with countless blessings day after day, but it’s so easy to take those blessings for granted until we don’t have them. For example we often take our good health for granted until some health issue appears. If we have beautiful weather day after day we can more easily begin to take that kind of weather for granted. When I lived in Zambia the weather was so consistently pleasant I told friends there that they didn’t appreciate how nice their weather was.

When we thank God we are honoring Him as He deserves, but it also blesses us as well. When we thank God for the many blessings in life we are tracing those blessings back to the hand of God, who is the giver of good gifts. “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” James 1:17 NASB When we trace the blessings of life back to the hand of God it brings greater joy into our lives for it helps to remind us of how wise, loving and giving God is to us.

During our lifetime in this world we will never be fully thankful as we should be, but we can commit ourselves to becoming more thankful day by day. There are endless things about God’s wonderful creation to thank Him for. Do you ever thank God for the water cycle that replenishes the earth with the needed moisture? Do you ever thank God for the marvelous way that He has made your body? Our bodies are so complex we are still learning many things about how they function. Do you thank God for the people He brings into your life to bless you in various ways?

Of course the most important thing of all to be thankful for is God’s wonderful plan of salvation. Through the gift of Christ and our faith in Him we can experience a relationship with Him that never ends. It’s because of this vital relationship that thankfulness in every other area is truly meaningful.

Let’s not confine our thankfulness to one day of the year. Instead may each day of the year be a day to add something more for which we are thankful to God.