I’m starting to realize that Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday; it has to be my life. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

All over the Old and New Testament there are various commands telling us to be thankful, to remember what God has done, to think of things that are good. Is this just Christianity trying to convince me that it is real? Am I just forcing a good mood upon myself by referencing good memories and trying to look on the bright side?

God built me and knows that when my circumstances don’t line up with my expectations I get into a funk, and that the first person I seem to question is the one in charge.

But here in reality, I have no needs that aren’t met. I have no deep desires which God isn’t trying to fulfill. I have hope, security, love, family, and deep-rooted joy that can’t ever diminish but only grow. And yet so many times I stub my toe and immediately turn my glare upward. In being thankful instead, all I’m actually doing is lining my thoughts up with what is already true. If I'm not thankful, I blind myself from what is true without effort.