Happy Thanksgiving! Seems like everyone is saying it this week. The cashier at the supermarket, the mail carrier, the receptionist at the doctor’s office. Happy Thanksgiving!

But what if this Thanksgiving day is not a happy one for you?

You may have lost a loved one this year…and this is your first Thanksgiving without them.

You, or someone close to you, may have received a frightening diagnosis…and you’re wondering if this will be your last Thanksgiving with your family.

You may have lost your job, or you’re in the process of losing your home…and you wonder where you’ll spend next Thanksgiving.

The prospect of wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving, or in a few weeks, a merry Christmas, may be as appealing as an abscessed tooth.

Yet Thanksgiving – the attitude and the day – is not about itemizing what we have or don’t have. Rather, it begins with knowing that, as Christians, we belong to the one, true, living God because He has extended the gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus. This is the source of our thankfulness, the seed from which our gratitude grows.

But what if your heavenly Father, never gave you another thing…never again answered yes to one of your prayers…never responded to another cry for help? What if the God of the universe seems to ignore your pleas for healing…or doesn’t restore that broken relationship…or doesn’t prevent your child from making a tragic choice? What if…your worst nightmare came true?

Would you and I cease to be thankful for who we belong to and what we do have, just because God doesn’t respond the way we think He should? Or will we trust His goodness and His sovereignty?

In our relationship with our heavenly Father, will we seek His hand or will we seek His heart? Our decision will determine whether or not we have a happy Thanksgiving.

What will you do this Thanksgiving?