In a week’s time (given that this blog is posted on Thursdays), many of us will be gathering with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. A big part of that celebration will be a meal. But before we can partake of the sumptuous feast, there is a lot of preparation that is required. Turkeys must be stuffed. Potatoes must be mashed. Pies must be baked.

In order to prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving, I share with you some quotes from those who have gone before us.

“Do you think, O Christian, that you can measure the love of Christ? Think of what His love has brought you—justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of His goodness are unsearchable! Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall Jesus’ marvelous loving-kindness and tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment? O my soul, tune your heart to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go through the day rejoicing, for you are no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by thy Lord.” (Charles Spurgeon – Slightly modernized – From the Daily Help devotional.)

“We are such weaklings and suffering “martyrs” when even one leg hurts or a small sore swells that we can fill heaven and earth with cries and howls, grumbling and cursing. We do not see what a tiny evil such a small thing is, compared to the countless blessings that God provides. Snorers that we are, God lets us experience these minor troubles so that we may be awakened from our deep sleep and be driven by knowledge and realization to consider what would happen if the great and countless blessings present to us disappeared because God’s favor turned away from us.” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Psalm 118)

“It is important to keep on giving thanks. Otherwise, as one continues to pray for the others who have not yet been relieved, one simply fails to notice how many of one’s intercessory prayers have been granted—never notices how the list of ‘Thank-you’s’ grows and perhaps outstrips the list of mere ‘Please’s’ ” (C.S. Lewis, in a 1955 letter to Mary Van Deusen)

“But in the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving there can be no interruption without sin, since God does not cease to heap benefits upon benefits in order to impel us, though slow and lazy, to gratefulness. In short, we are well-nigh overwhelmed by so great and so plenteous an outpouring of good blessings, by so many and mighty miracles discerned wherever one looks, that we never lack reason and occasion for praise and thanksgiving.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion)

Saints, the giving of thanks should characterize our lives all throughout the year. But as we come to this one day that is especially set apart for that purpose, let me encourage you to take this week to prepare yourself for the day. Perhaps you could stick a piece of paper on the fridge door and have people write on it who and what they are thankful for and then read the list prior to your Thanksgiving feast. Or cut up slips of paper and have folks write their thanksgiving on those slips and put them in a jar and throughout the day and during the meal have individuals pull a slip from the jar and read aloud.

Whatever and however you choose to express your thanks, do so with purpose and intentionality. Because our Father in heaven, the one from whom all blessings flow, was intentional in sending us those things for which we give thanks. Thanks be to God!