In The Thanksgiving Handbook I discuss what I call “the magical life-changing power” of giving thanks. Now, I hesitated to use the word ‘magic’ because it is over-used and misunderstood by most folks. But, the word does mean something to every person. For me, it means seeing something that I find hard to put into words. We have all had experiences that are hard to convey in words to another person. But if you say to them, “It was a magical moment”, they will most likely understand.

I remember the first time I saw a Humpback whale leap out of the water in front of my skiff and come crashing down so close, that the spray got my face wet. Magical moment. When the Americans beat the Russians in hockey in the 1980 Olympics, that was a magical moment and hard to explain to someone who did not see it. I once held a hummingbird feeder in my hand and had a dozen hummingbirds buzzing my face and landing on my hands at the same time. Trust me, it was a magical moment.

I remember one time when I was up early and fixing myself breakfast in the kitchen. The house was quiet while everyone slept. Then, just as I finished scrambling some eggs, I heard a shuffling sound behind me. I turned and here was my 18 month old daughter, Corrie, crawling up behind me with a big smile. She had followed the sound and the smells to find me. I picked her up and we both sat down for some breakfast together. She was quiet as we ate, but it seemed to me that she thought it was special to be having breakfast alone with dad, just as I did. And yes, it was a magical moment for me.

Now, when I tell people that Thanksgiving can have magical moments, they usually respond with a look of “Huh? Oh, you mean like a close finish to the football game?” No, I mean during our time of recalling together our past year that was peppered with personal moments of receiving a special gift of blessing. But unless you make room in your Day for sharing together, you will miss out on hearing about those moments. And that, again, is why we keep our “Thankful Moments Journals”. They assist us in recalling those blessings.

In His Word, God shares the fact that there is power in His words and in our obedience to His words. At one spot, he says that His Word is “An anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast.” Now, His words mean nothing, they hold no power, unless we, by faith, act upon them. Think of it like this: you can stand at the plate with a bat in your hands, but if you never swing it, you will not know the power of the bat. Even so, we must swing the bat in obedience to His promises. And one of those promises is that acting on His words can anchor our soul during a time of emotional storm.

All of us experience stormy days, either at work or at home. We have days filled with disappointments, sickness, mean words, betrayals, and depression. Some folks have such a stormy day that they choose to sink their ship by taking their own life. What if they could have just gotten through that day. Would they maybe have gone on to live a full and rewarding life? Maybe if they could have just anchored their heart during a storm, they would have come through the moment as a stronger person. And how do I anchor myself? By responding to His Word with action.

When He says, “In everything, give thanks”, he means in every situation, during every storm and every magical moment. So, let’s create a stormy moment. A loved one is desperately ill, and may lose their life. You are at the hospital and you are torn up emotionally; so much so that you cannot focus on any one thing. Your mind and heart are “tossed, to and fro”. The storm has hit and you are without an anchor. What should you do? Who can assist you? God can, but how? By you doing what he asks you to do: be thankful for the moment. Excuse Me! Be thankful? Yes, be thankful. Send off a prayer of thanks that this person who means so much to you is still with you and has blessed your life. Be thankful you are alive and have known them and are now available to ask for their healing. Be thankful for how this storm has revealed how deeply you love them. And express your thanks that God has His eye on them at this exact moment, just like He does with every sparrow that flies His sky and sometimes falls to the ground.

He promises that if you will express your thanks for the moment, He will anchor your soul in the midst of the storm. And storms always pass, usually followed by bright sunshine and calm. Trust me when I say that this can become a magical moment for you, one that you will want to record and save for your time of sharing with your friends on Thanksgiving…