Giving Thanks
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying:
“Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
But who am I, and who are my people, that we are able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
-I Chronicles 29:10-14
Today is our son, Paul’s, 9th birthday. Jamey and I were not sure we would be able to have a baby. We were married at ages 41 and 38. After a miscarriage, Jamey was ready to adopt another child (Vivienne was 3 years old when we got married). I was hopeful to try one more time. When I became pregnant, our hopes were tempered. Everything looked to be going well, but I was now 39 and would be 40 by the time the baby was born. My doctor was very pragmatic and took great care to ensure that I was doing everything I could to have a safe pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. At 35 weeks we had a more intensive ultrasound because the baby seemed to be losing weight. The next day at our follow-up appointment the doctor told us to check in to the hospital because we were going to have a baby today. The baby was stressed and needed to be delivered immediately. This was the day before Thanksgiving.
I was anxious about being home alone with Vivi and going into labor while Jamey was at work (he was working nights at the time), so I had asked his parents to come visit us for Thanksgiving. My due date was still several weeks away, but it turned out to be God’s plan that they were with us when Paul was born. After laboring all evening and through the night, the doctor called for an emergency c-section at 4am. Paul was born very early on Thanksgiving morning. He weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 21 inches long. He was so tiny that he couldn’t control his blood sugars and spent the next three days in the NICU. When I was finally able to hold him in my arms I was overwhelmed with thanks to God.
God shows us his power and mercy. Safe pregnancy and delivery is one of those many blessings of God. Even if our situation isn’t turning out as we had hoped, we have much for which to give thanks to God. In I Chronicles, King David asked the people of Israel to bring gifts and offerings to build the temple. He was overwhelmed with their generosity and reminded them that everything we have comes from God’s hand. Our gifts are merely returning thanks for what God has given us. This Thanksgiving, may you experience God’s presence, sharing thanks for all His blessings.
On this Thanksgiving Day, let us not forget to start by saying thank you to the Creator and Source of all for which we have to be thankful. Loving God, we thank you for those with whom we spend this day. Thank you for family, friends, and strangers. We thank you for the food we share and remember those who do not have enough to eat. May today’s feast inspire us to share what you have given us with others. As we enjoy a day of relaxation and rest, we ask your blessing on those working today–the people working to keep us safe and healthy, the people working so others can eat, and the people working because they desperately need the money. We pray for families and friends who wish they could be together today. We pray for people who struggle to feel thankful today. God, we ask that you give us thankful hearts, not just today when it is easy to be thankful, but every day. Amen.
Prayer written by Rev. Susannah DeBenedetto
