“Our thankfulness is measured by the number of our words. Our gratitude is measured by the nature of our actions. A person appears very thankful at the time, who afterwards proves very ungrateful.”
George Crabb (1778-1854), English etymologist, philologist and author, in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 936.
Today many Americans gather alongside family and friends to give thanks to God for His rich blessings to us. It is our custom to exhibit our gratitude by partaking of a huge feast of turkey together. Regardless of what food you eat, we invite our international brothers and sisters around the world to join us in pausing to give thanks to God.
To ensure our expressions of gratitude are not just empty words, Crabb rightly reminds us to exhibit our gratitude through generous actions over time. In other words, if we believe all we have is from God to enjoy and share, then let’s live like it’s Thanksgiving every day of the year. We are learning as a family that it’s the only way to live!