Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. – Psalm 100:4
Traditionally, every fourth Thursday in November is set aside for the celebration of what is known as Thanksgiving Day. It is a day of Thanksgiving parades on television in the morning, followed by football games in the afternoon. It is a day when family, friends, and loved ones gather together to share a bounteous meal and share one another’s company.
But, amidst all of the parades, football games, and bounteous meals, Thanksgiving Day should be a day for pausing to give thanks and to reflect upon the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon each and every one of us. It is a time to give thanks, not only for the large blessings that are ours to enjoy, but for the smallest of blessings as well. We are admonished in the Scriptures that in everything we are to give thanks because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning each and every one of us. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We are further taught in the Scriptures to not fear, but to let our hearts be comforted and to rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks. (D&C 98:1).
Thanksgiving Day should not be the only day that we pause to give thanks, but every day of our lives should be a day of Thanks Giving. Each and every day we should as the Psalmist declared, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4).
As we reflect upon the Thanksgiving season that has just passed, I am sure that each of us has many things that we are thankful for. I am personally thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of the True and the Living God. It is He who guides my footsteps and sustains me each day. I am thankful for the glorious Gospel and for the things that I learn from its pages to help me in my daily walk. I am thankful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of which I testify and bear solemn witness is the Lord’s true Church on the earth today. I am thankful for a Living Prophet on the earth today who through the inspiration and divine guidance of the Holy Spirit is able to teach us in all righteousness. I am also thankful for the loving support of family and friends. I fear that I do not often enough express my appreciation for each of them, but they are truly the wind beneath my wings. And I am also thankful for the health and strength necessary to go forth each day.
These are just some of the things that I am thankful for, not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of my life as I strive to make each day of my personal life a day of Thanks Giving. None of us should ever take any of our blessings for granted. We should ever be mindful of the words of the Psalmist when he said, “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.” (Psalm 79:13). Let us make every day a day of Thanks Giving.
