This set me to thinking: is possible to be thankful for something without expresssing thanks to someone or something? Certainly, in everyday speech often we say that we are thankful for something without mentioning the intended recipient of our thanks. However, logically, thanks must be offered to someone or something. The question is to whom or what are we giving thanks.
On Thursday, all across the US, people will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Many willl gather around tables with family members and engage in a traditional ritual--sharing with others the things for which they are thankful. I think that is commendable, especially since too often we fail to be properly thankful for the good things we have. Nevertheless, I suspect many of them will not actually say to whom they are thankful for these things. As a Christian, I would say that ultimately the one to be thanked is the one who is the giver of all good things. In Psalm 136, we are told, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." God is by His very nature good, and so, in a way, it should not be surprising that He gives good things. On the other hand, if we consider how unworthy we are to receive these good things, it is really quite astounding that He should so bless us at all. Jesus said that God gives rain to the just and the unjust, and in reality all of us fall into the latter category. Thus, we should be all the more thankful for any good thing we have, for it is purely the result of God's unmerited favor toward us. Would that we all could keep this truth in our thoughts more often, rather than being so quick to complain about what we don't have! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Image from urbanbaptist.com