A Thanksgiving to Remember

Written by Mike Bennett

Ingratitude has been called the most common sin. Consider these Thanksgiving memories for hints in combating this affliction.

I’ve enjoyed my share of abundant Thanksgivings where the temptation to overeat was strong. But I’ll always remember a more meager Thanksgiving “feast” fondly.

We had moved from sunny Southern California to the foothills of the Rockies in Northern Idaho, and, whether I was ready or not, ice storms and snow storms didn’t wait till after Thanksgiving to come.

That first year, my in-laws drove north to be with us, braving the hazards of an ice storm on the way. We were renting a manufactured home by a beautiful lake. I had little experience with this type of winter, so I didn’t realize that the several feet of heavy snow already on the roof were stressing what was essentially designed to be a summer home.

I am very grateful that my father-in-law and my wonderful wife braved the dangers to shovel snow off the roof to keep it from collapsing.

But that wasn’t all. Our home was totally electric—heat, lights stove, refrigerator, everything. So when the power went out, our Thanksgiving plans changed—drastically!

Our little camp burner wasn’t up to cooking an entire turkey!

The little camp burner wasn't up to cooking an entire turkey! So, my wife pulled some frozen chicken out of the defrosting freezer and we had a nontraditional, rather meager Thanksgiving meal. We started calling it our Little House on the Prairie Thanksgiving.

Much to be thankful for

Even that simple meal gave us much to be thankful for. God had blessed us in so many ways.

We had food to eat and a roof over our heads (unlike the empty summer home nearby where the roof had collapsed under the weight of the snow). We had our family together and everyone was safe. We had the beauty of the outdoors, and plenty of clothes to keep warm indoors. And we had memories of all the more traditional Thanksgiving feasts we had had in the past, and the expectation that the power would come back on soon. When it did, I can tell you we appreciated it more than ever!

When things are going well, it is easy to just accept it as the status quo and to forget to be thankful. God warned the Israelites about the dangers of ingratitude (Deuteronomy 8:11-17). It seems like we don’t really know what we’ve got till it’s gone.

What about you? Likely your most memorable Thanksgiving was not the one where you ate the most or watched the most football. More likely, the most memorable times were when you laughed the most, hugged the most, sang the most, conversed the most, shoveled snow the most, reflected the most, said thanks the most or gave the most.

Sacrifices of thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not just an American holiday. It’s an important theme throughout the Bible.

Ancient Israel was taught about sacrifices for sin and sacrifices for thanksgiving. The book of Hebrews explained to first-century Jewish Christians that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice replaced the sacrificial system.

Though Christ’s sacrifice replaced the sin offerings, Christians can still give thanksgiving offerings, though in different ways. Hebrews explains: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

What are some of the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and how can we give them?