What are you thankful for? I’m thankful for family, for friends, for health, for interesting work, for insightful travel and for good food, among many other things. This is a perfect week to take a few quiet minutes to reflect on the Lord’s goodness in your life.

It’s fascinating that Thanksgiving is followed hard by Black Friday and the frenzy of Christmas shopping. Unbelievably, every year someone dies in the scrum of holiday bargain madness. Perhaps if we took more time to reflect on what we’re thankful for, we would spend less time on Christmas stress.

Thanksgiving became an official U.S. holiday in 1863, during the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Still sounds like a good idea.

As you reflect on the goodness of the Lord towards you, be encouraged by this verse from Colossians 3:15: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.