One of my most memorable Thanksgivings was the year I spent
as a missionary in Chile. It was
my first Thanksgiving away from my family, and there were very few around me
who understood the holiday. But
being away from family and outside the United States brought a special meaning
to this day of giving thanks.
I was a little caught off guard when people from Chile would
ask me about Thanksgiving. They had no clue, but it gave me a chance to explain
it a bit and therefore understand it better myself. Perhaps it’s what they called the holiday that taught me the
most: Día
de Acción de Gracias. Literally translated that means “Day of Action of
Thanks.”
I used to think of Thanksgiving as a time when I would tell
God how thankful I was for His blessings, and tell others how thankful I was
for them. But now during this time I realize that being thankful should be
accompanied by words and actions.
In both the Old and New Testaments, when we read the word thanksgiving
many times it is meant to involve a sacrifice to the Lord that flows from a
thankful heart.
My prayer for this Thanksgiving is that we will express our
thankfulness both with words and actions; that we would count each blessing
that God has given us and show Him and others how thankful we are.
