Thanksgiving

It is warm and natural for people to thank God for the good in their lives. The Bible tells us, ''It is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.'' And, ''Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.'' n1

n1 Psalms 147:1; Psalms 150:6.

But haven't most of us found that our gratitude is sometimes accompanied by a subtle fear? We may wonder whether the things we cherish will change or disappear. We may feel a bit like the child smiling till his face stretches because he has a new bike, but who also has a little fear that someone might scratch or steal it.

Yet all of our true blessings come from God, and God is eternal good, always present, always caring for man. We may not always be aware of this truth, and circumstances may seem sometimes to contradict it. But this is truth, and because it is, we can eliminate the fear of losing good.

The Christ, the divine message blessing humanity, and exemplified by Christ Jesus, reveals man as the perfect and cherished child of God. As we're receptive through prayer to its tender, healing influence, the Christ fills our thought with spiritual ideas, with a perception of the kingdom of heaven within. As a result of this change of consciousness, our lives are improved. Waking to the reality of God's constant care and provision, looking to Him for our well-being and worshiping Him alone, we inevitably find our needs cared for. The Master promised all mankind, ''Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.'' n2

n2 Matthew 6:33.

Doesn't this passage indicate that God is the only genuine source of good and that His goodness comes to us in ways that provide for our present needs? So while it is important to be grateful to God for the job or provision that is ''added,'' it is even more important to thank Him for being the constant, unfailing source of good.

The one perfect God never withholds good. His good never decays or is lost; it is not fleeting, destructible, or changeable, but permanent, spiritual, and unchanging, though it appears to us in ways that meet our present, practical needs. As we gain this higher sense of the nature of blessings, our lives are established on a firmer foundation and we gain the joy of constant gratitude to God.

But what of the struggling poor who not only have no turkey on Thanksgiving Day but perhaps little food at all, or those with no family to share gratitude with? Does God care for them? He does indeed. And as oppressive materialism and blind selfishness abate worldwide, the poor will more tangibly receive evidence of the ever-tender Christ; and even now, all can be touched with the joy of spiritual sense, which stills every ache and recognizes God's care for every need. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Sci-ence, Mary Baker Eddy, discerned God's tenderness when she wrote, ''Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.'' n3

n3 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 494

The more fortunate may decide to share their tables on Thanksgiving Day or to support organizations that help the needy on that day or all through the year. But some will do this and even more. Sensing that the most basic need is to feel the touch of the Christ, they will be led by God to share the Christ-spirit. They will, through prayer, purify their own thought so they can discern God's perfect man right where suffering, lack, or spiritually vacant mortals appear to be. This effort blesses others at a depth and in a way nothing else can. This glimpse of man's indestructible well-being and unity with God is the greatest joy on earth, and it impels the deepest gratitude to Him. DAILY BIBLE VERSE Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing . . . Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting. Psalms 100:1, 2, 4, 5

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