People often reflect on the reasons to be thankful, but at what point are they persuaded to give thanks. Does something happen? A certain amount of needs met? A sense of emotional stability? A feeling of relational fulfillment? What if people view their circumstances, emotions, relationships, etc; and find it difficult to say, “thank you.” What if they would rather shake their fist in the air and say, “What is there to be thankful about?” What if no amount of persuasion could convince them to be thankful? What would it take for a person, a nation, a world to live with thanksgiving?
If there is one thanksgiving persuasion, I suggest a consideration of Saint Paul’s persuasion, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Rom 8:38-39) Start with a love persuasion which will cultivate a thanksgiving persuasion.
To Whom Would We Go?
Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God" -John 6:67-69
To Whom Would We Go? 