While shopping at a local department store a few days ago, I glanced at the SMALL display of Thanksgiving paper plates and napkins. As I surveyed the limited number of items, I immediately reflected on how Thanksgiving often gets overlooked.

Once Halloween has passed, the retail world quickly shifts our focus to Christmas. Of course, this is a strategic move. The longer Christmas goods are available to purchase ... the greater the PROFIT for the stores! In fact, Americans spent $579.5 billion on holiday sales in 2012.

Unfortunately, for many Americans, a large part of Thanksgiving Day is spent delving into newspaper advertisements in anticipation of the marathon Christmas shopping that will take place that very night OR at the latest a little after midnight. Sadly, not much time is spent on the significance of this holiday ... THANKING GOD for all He has done for us.

After being in America for less than a year, the Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving to give THANKS to God for His provision during the previous hard months. Over half of the original settlers had died either from disease or starvation. The Pilgrims set this day aside to offer their gratitude to God and to pay special appreciation to their Native American friends who had helped them.

The Pilgrims gave thanks to God for their very survival. However, it is sometimes more difficult to express gratitude when we have SO many blessings in our lives ... we face the tendency to take these provisions for granted.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote:  "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile." We are truly fortunate and are so unbelievably blessed to have such a provider in our God.

My challenge to you today is to focus this next week on giving gratitude to God for all of your blessings as today's scripture encourages us to do. Don't get so busy as to turn Thanksgiving into The Forgotten Holiday. Make it a day everyone will remember as a time to temporarily halt the busyness of life and to express gratefulness for all of their blessings.....

Dear Lord, I thank You for all You have given to me. Help me to never take Your generosity for granted. Let me recognize opportunities to share what I have with others who are in need. 

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.