Which Holiday is God’s Favorite?

Surely, it’s when He sent His Son to earth because His long-term plan for our destiny depended on it. So, it must be Christmas. Or is it Easter/Resurrection Sunday when His Son rose from the grave?

I’m giving it some second thoughts. Especially, as we sat around our Thanksgiving table declaring our gratitude for all of it – His Son, His love, our lives, the blessing of being His children who will forever live with Him in eternity. Yes. I think God’s favorite is Thanksgiving.

Thanks-giving is vital for our souls. In fact, of all the holidays we observe, Thanksgiving is the only one mandated by Scripture. The Bible nowhere commands us to celebrate the new year on January 1st, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, or even Christmas and Easter or any other secular holiday.

But Scripture is adamant in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” “Give thanks” is an ongoing command to “Always and at all times give thanks.” “In all circumstances” gives no room for exceptions. No matter what dark and difficult challenges we might be facing or feeling, we are to “give thanks” to God.

That “This is the will of God in Christ Jesus” is a precise command from Heaven Central. Given this clear command, might we say that Thanksgiving is God’s favorite holiday?

I heard someone once say that God is egotistical. Dumb, wrong statement. God does not require our thanks-giving because He is an egotist or insecure. He is “the King of all ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Timothy 1:17). He does not need the affirmation of us to feel better about Himself.

Rather, He calls us to give thanks in all circumstances because it clarifies we are dependent creatures of an omnipotent Creator. That kind of gratitude comes with enormous benefit when we practice it daily.

But there’s a catch: if we give thanks so that God will bless us in return, it makes God look like a holy genie. It is better to give thanks out of genuine gratitude for the grace of our loving God and leave His response to His grace and mercy.

How can we best “give thanks in all circumstances”? It is possessing the attitude of gratitude – no matter what. You know what I mean. The flat tire delaying our appointment. The toothache that has our full attention. The past due bill. Give thanks for it all? Yesiree! That’s what I mean. Somewhere in the midst of everything in our lives, we have reasons to be grateful.

Here’s how to pivot. We can give thanks for the potential accident that was avoided when we had a flat tire. Think about 9/11 when people were delayed from going to work and their lives were saved. Pivot when we encounter someone having a bad day. Instead of infecting us with the same thing, we flip it with giving them a smile and a prayer.

The Thanksgiving holiday is over, but certainly NOT thanks-giving and thanks-living. Let’s take thanks-giving right on into the Christmas holidays and right on into our new year. It could be a life-changer!

I intend for thanks-giving to be one of my new year’s resolutions. How different would our culture be if all Christians made Thanksgiving not just an annual holiday but a consistent lifestyle? If not you and me, who? If not now, when?