As Thanksgiving quickly approaches I wonder—had the holiday been established today would it be called Thanks-taking instead?
You see when it comes to the idea of thankfulness we all like the concept. For who wouldn’t like to be shown more appreciation? But in a world where everyone is consumed with being on the receiving end of things, thanksgiving becomes a rarity.
To give thanks one must remove their sight from oneself and place it upon another human being. This includes setting aside the lack of appreciation we might feel ourselves as a parent, a spouse, an employee, etc. In addition, one must also believe that what someone else has done for them is not something they must do, but something they have chosen to do.
Isn’t it interesting that true thankfulness is always tied to a sense of unworthiness? Think about it—for one to give sincere thanks one must believe that what was given them was not because of their own greatness, but because of someone else’s kindness. It is then, and only then, that true thanksgiving exists.
With this in mind, how can one measure the sincerity of a “thank you?” Personally, I have little idea. But, as a parent on Halloween, I do have a clear idea of what an awkward, forced, insincere giving of thanks looks like:
“Son, what do you say when someone gives you something?”
“But I don’t like this flavor.”
“But what do you say anyway?”
“You want me to lie?”
“No. I want you to be thankful.”
“Fine. Thank you for this flavor of candy I won’t eat.”
[Insert face-palm here.]
On the other hand, I think the Apostle Paul gave us a clue of what sincere thanks embodies when he was writing his second letter to the church in Corinth. As sort of a concluding statement, Paul reveals this clue when he says:
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
2 Corinthians 9:15
The key to judging the sincerity of Paul’s thanks here is in the last two words of that phrase.
First, the word “unspeakable” implies his desire to describe and commemorate something that words fail. Have you ever been given something and left speechless with gratitude—on the receiving end of a marriage proposal, a mere warning instead of a speeding ticket after going 40 over the limit, or the hopeful news from the doctor who just informed you that the cancer treatment was successful and you are now in remission? This speechlessness comes when the recipient feels overwhelmed with gratitude either with surprise or a sense of relief. Unspeakable was Paul’s honest response as he remembers the grace shown by God Himself in sending His Son to die for Paul’s own sin.
Secondly, Paul also uses the word “gift” to describe what had been given to him. This implies something that is unearned, undeserved, and, as already alluded to, the recipient unworthy. A gift that is deserved does not exist; that would be a reward or payment. No one looks at their paycheck after a long hard week of work filled with a lack of sleep and calloused hands and calls it a gift. It was earned. In contrast, as Paul once again humbly looks back on the giving of God’s Son in light of his own sinful failures he distinctively and meticulously calls it a gift.
These two words reveal Paul’s sincere thankfulness to the One who gave. His concern in that sacred moment was in giving thanks, not in taking it. And if the lack of hearing “thank you” is any indication we are, in no doubt, surrounded by people who feel greatly unappreciated—an exhausted nurse, an overwhelmed schoolteacher, or a burned-out volunteer within your own church. So may we decide today to offer true and sincere thanks to those it is due.
It may not always be as lofty as Paul’s example, but it should always be tied to a sense of honest gratitude and humble unworthiness. I can’t imagine a greater reason to do so than this:
“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35c
More than stuffed turkeys and expanded waistlines this is how we will celebrate the holiday to its fullest.
So, happy Thanks giving everyone!!
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