The Importance of Thanksgiving

The pumpkins have come and gone, and the bright, autumn-colored turkey decorations now sit on store shelves between the glimmering Christmas lights and the jolly Santa ornaments and wreaths. It’s Thanksgiving.

But this holiday, just like its merchandise, is becoming crowded out by its two holiday bookends, Halloween and Christmas. For many, the rush from costumes and candy to snowmen and sleighs leaves little room for Thanksgiving.

In fact, according to a 2022 census, 25% of American adults do not think of Thanksgiving as having any significance.

While this feast-filled holiday does not hold as much inherent spiritual value as the following season during which we remember Christ’s birth, the habit of thankfulness is one that should be practiced by Christians year-round. Thanksgiving is a great place to start.

For Christians, gratitude is a biblical practice that brings peace and perspective, especially during the holiday season. The importance of this value is repeated throughout Scripture, marking its importance in the life of the believer. The word “thankful” is found 195 times and “grateful” 157 times.

Timothy “Tim” Pipkin, pastor of Ash Grove Assembly of God in Ash Grove, Missouri, recalls growing up on the mission field in Africa, as well as his time as a missionary to India with Assemblies of God World Missions.

“I find it interesting that this is one of the few holidays that people are curious about overseas. I remember them asking us, the Americans, about why we have Thanksgiving and what it means,” he says.

He states that, more than the way American’s celebrate the holiday, those overseas are interested in the special time taken to give thanks to God for all of His blessings.

“Gratitude is a very important part of our Christian Walk,” he continues, “and it’s a time to take the focus off of ourselves, all the things we feel are wrong or the things we don’t like and focus on all that God has done for which we can be thankful.”

For many, Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season which continues until the end of the year. Yet the importance of the posture taken on this holiday should not be overlooked. For believers, finding time for intentional thankfulness offers several benefits and blessings.

Thankfulness brings peace. Thankfulness is often the precursor to peace; it ushers peace into the mind and heart of the believer. When we are thankful, our capacity for trusting God increases and our worry decreases. That is probably why Paul wrote that we are to “pray and petition God with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

Pipkin states that Thanksgiving is often a low-pressure holiday with few expectations other than being together with friends and family to thank God for what He has done and what He is doing. He encourages Christians to keep this spirit of humble gratitude as they celebrate the blessings of the Lord.

Thankfulness brings perspective. When we lose sight of hope, thankfulness can realign our thinking. Paul gives Christians a wonderful framework for a healthy perspective when he writes, “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:36, NIV).

As the segway into the Christmas season, Pipkin encourages believers to remember and give thanks for what is about to be celebrated – Christ’s birth. “A day of prayer and thanks is a great way to step into the season of remembering God sending His son to earth for the redemption of humanity,” he says.

No matter where you are in life, what your needs are, or what trials you are facing, remember that Christians are instructed to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Allow this day to bring you peace and give you proper perspective for the gift you have been given through Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection.