Thanksgiving: Act and Attitude
"…for although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."-Paul, To the Romans (1.21)
How many average people on the street would know that thanksgiving was a theological principle? In the passage quoted above, Paul states that the Gentiles were facing the wrath of God because they did not glorify God as he deserved, nor were they thankful to him. In fact, their thanklessness resulted in futile thinking and darkened hearts. Thanksgiving, in other words, impacts both one's daily and eternal well-being.
What would you give to have a light-filled heart and a productive mind? Thanks. What would you give to live eternally in a world of joy, love, and peace? Thanks. So giving thanks can have a huge impact on your quality of life. I don't know about you, but I am concerned about the quality of my life and the lives of those I love.
The simplest act of thanksgiving is just saying 'thank you.' "Mom, thank you for washing my clothes today." "Honey, thank you for going to work every day and paying bills." Stuff like that. Saying thank you to the bus driver, to the teacher, to the grocery cashier, to the elders, deacons, and ministers, to the janitor, to the garbage men, etc., may seem like small potatoes and unimportant. But to someone who may be questioning their worth as a human being or the importance of their job, an unexpected thank you can be a great spiritual experience. The simple act of saying 'thank you' tells someone that they are important and what they do matters. It means that you are not just wrapped up in yourself and your own little world. To thank people means you are paying attention to what they do, and that what they do blesses you in some way.
Additional means of thanking others can include telling them why you are thankful to and for them. You can send them a note, or even give them a gift or serve them in some way. These increase the impact of the 'thank you'. The main reason I give to God is to say 'thank you.' Even when we lived on $900 a month with two small children, we gave ten percent each week. If I can't be thankful about little, how can I be thankful about much?
The attitude of thanksgiving is also critical to one's quality of life. How many children have been crippled emotionally or spiritually by parents who acted like the children couldn't be good enough? How many greedy or covetous people became that way because they failed to develop an attitude of thanksgiving? How many of us worry about life because we are failing to develop an attitude of thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving as an attitude looks for the blessing or act of God in any situation. Paul's declaration that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him was based upon an attitude of thanksgiving (Phil 4.13). Sometimes people call the attitude of thanksgiving 'optimism.' Sometimes they call it 'positive thinking.' But whatever you call it, the attitude of thanksgiving means you can be thankful even in trials or tribulations (James 1.3). As a child of God, you can be thankful for the chance to develop your perseverance and spiritual maturity. You can be thankful that God is with you through his Holy Spirit. You can also be thankful that even Jesus learned through the things he suffered, and you can too.
So, thanksgiving is a vital theological principle that directly impacts our quality of life. It frames the way we view life and the events that make up our lives. It causes us to bless others by getting us out of ourselves and seeing what others do.

~Shawn