My Refuge in trouble and danger,

My Father to care for me,

My Shepherd to guide,

My Bridegroom to delight in me.

Because Thy loving kindness is better than life,

My lips will praise Thee.

In just a few days, families all over the world will gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, my favorite time of the year. It is a simple holiday; one that seems to have escaped the death grip of materialism and side-stepped the greed that often permeates the holiday season.  Laughter and love fills homes and hearts swell with fresh hope as families gather around mountains of food to remember and celebrate all God has done.  The rich heritage of relationships – family and friends – is revisited then tucked away as a precious gift of strength for the days ahead. 

Man set aside one day to be thankful.  God set aside a lifetime.  Yet, I find few Christians whose lives are filled with thanksgiving.  I think I know why. Because we do not understand the true meaning of praise, we do not understand the accessibility of thanksgiving.  Many Christians neglect praise entirely because they are afraid, shoving it down into a dark corner of their spiritual journey.  On the other hand, some Christians base their entire faith on praise, neglecting the bible and leaving service to someone else while they are busy praising God.  Both viewpoints are wrong and out of balance.  The truth is that praise and thanksgiving are acts of spiritual obedience and should be practiced by every believer.