How to Remember the Eternal This Thanksgiving

A week from today is Thanksgiving. Can you picture the day? Smell the food?

Holidays bear the weight of big expectations.

Whether we notice them or not, expectations form the basis of our excitement and anticipation or our weariness and dread.

This year, I’m hosting Thanksgiving for only the second time in my life. It’s pretty impossible to plan a holiday meal and not form expectations around it. As I plan, I think about the people, the must-have foods, the fun add-ons, and the laughter. Pictures pop into my mind.

Our expectations come from many sources. A desire to recreate a warm childhood memory. Or a lack of childhood holiday cheer that motivates you to create better experiences for your own kids. Expectations come from magazine menus and staged storefront decor.

We allow ourselves to believe we control the outcome and that the success of a satiating turkey dinner rests on our shoulders. If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, then yes, in some ways the day depends on your love and thoughtfulness. However, there are many aspects we can’t control—dreary weather or difficult family relationships, to name a couple.

What we do find in our control is our own response. At the heart of Thanksgiving, we’re giving ourselves room to cultivate gratitude. It’s a day to practice thankfulness even when the circumstances may not seem to warrant it. 

At the heart of #Thanksgiving, we’re giving ourselves room to cultivate #gratitude. It’s a day to practice #thankfulness even when the circumstances may not seem to warrant it.  Share on X

A life marked by gratitude sees beyond uncontrollable circumstances to the lasting and the eternal—God, his Word, and his people. 

Last week I shared how it’s possible to give thanks even when we don’t feel thankful. It’s my hope you find that choice easier when you orient yourself toward eternity and prioritize what has lasting value.

Next week, whether Thanksgiving fulfills your every hope, looks different from previous years, or disappoints your well-intentioned expectations, let’s practice choosing gratitude for the good gifts that will remain when this temporary, broken world is gone. 

What are you expecting this Thanksgiving? How can you plan now to cultivate gratitude even if your expectations aren’t met? I’d love to hear about your holiday plans in the comments!