It is so easy to take people and things for granted. We live in a wonderful, free country. Most of us are well fed. We have a roof over our heads, and money in our pockets. We are blessed with family, friends and a future.

We might not be as well off as some but compared to most of the world we are rich. Despite of all this, we are sometimes slow to acknowledge our blessings. Because we have grown so accustomed to these blessings, we often take them for granted. It’s easy to do.

Occasionally we need to be reminded of just what we have been taking for granted, and everything we have to be thankful for. It is at special times, like Thanksgiving, that we are able to focus our attention on the things which really count.

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is a special time of the year. It is a time when we look back on the blessings God has given us, and a time when we look forward to the blessings we will enjoy in eternity.

We can focus in on the present and still celebrate the greatest gift of all, the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving reminds us of the importance of learning to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

Second Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” God’s indescribable gift is Jesus. And His gift to us is eternal life. The greatest gift that anyone has ever given to humankind is the gift of eternal life made possible only through a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

God sent Jesus, because He loved us, to do the greatest work for us that anyone has ever done. That work was dying on the Cross for our sins, so that we could be set free. Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins. He suffered so that the bondage of sin could be broken. He took our place on the Cross. And He did all that for one very specific reason, because He loves us.

As we reflect on all that we have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, let’s not take for granted the most important things. While the official observance of Thanksgiving is over for another year, I want to make sure that I continue to possess an attitude of gratitude every day of the year. The habit of being thankful should not be an event but rather a lifestyle.

Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].