That scene really sticks in my mind for some reason, and it reminds me that thanksgiving is a state of mind, not a state of what we have. We can have a lot and be thankful, or we can have almost nothing and still be thankful. Similarly, we can be ungrateful with a little or with a lot. The reason to be thankful is because of Christ in our lives, and this has nothing to do with the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Psalm 100:4 tells us that thanksgiving and praise go hand in hand: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Being thankful means recognizing the one who gave us all we have, whether it is much or little. We can’t really praise God while complaining about what we don’t have. We also can’t truly be thankful without praising the one who gave us everything.
I hope when you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, whether with your family or on your own, that you will remember who to be thankful to!