Thanksgiving highlights the home and family. However, Thanksgiving is about more than just piles of food and gathering far-flung relatives in the same room. It is about giving thanks to the God who provides for our every need. Thanksgiving is a time of quiet reflection upon the past and an annual reminder that God has, again, been ever so faithful. The solid and simple things of life are brought into clear focus, so much so that everything else fades into insignificance.
Thanksgiving turns our heads upward.
Genuine gratitude to God for His mercy, His abundance, His protection, His smile of favor. It is surprising, but back on the first Thanksgiving our forefathers were thankful for the precious little they had. A disposition of continual thankfulness comes from an unshakable confidence in God's wisdom, power, and goodness no matter what our circumstances may be. People who possess the quality of gratitude may be poor in this world's goods, but they are truly rich spiritually. Some of the most appreciative people around are people who have little material wealth, and some even live below the poverty line.