I came by it honestly: I grew up in a home of coffee drinkers. It took a little while, but by the time I was a young broadcaster, signing on a radio transmitter at 5:30 in the morning, my transformation into a full-grown lover of the coffee bean became complete. 

You’ve just got to love that wonderful warmth and comfort that we get from our morning cup of caffeine.

Fast-forward to the days when Starbucks began to pop up all over the country. I remember the first time I ever opened the door to one of their shops, all decorated with the green-and-white logos, earth-tone wall paint, beautiful wooden cabinets, and inviting music playing softly in the background. That’s when it happened. The aroma was everywhere. Not just emanating up from the cup-it was in every cubic inch of the air that we were breathing. 

It was exhilarating, and I was hooked. Coming into those shops became a treat, because now…it was more than a cup of coffee. It was a pure java experience.  

While that might be an extreme way of looking at coffee (I have been known to talk in superlatives), that is exactly how we should view all of the blessings in life that we’ve been given. The Psalmists excelled in this very thing, giving us chapter after chapter of beautiful lyrics, amazing imagery—all crammed through and through with deep theological truths about the goodness of God and our need to be grateful and thankful to Him.

If you have ever studied the real stories of America’s history, you will have learned that the desire to worship our God in this manner is what drove our nation’s founders to risk everything on the voyage to this new land—where they could worship the Savior freely. That desire produced an immersive longing that was thicker and sweeter than the aroma from any coffee bar.

What began as a humble feast centuries ago ultimately became a national holiday. And while our country has changed in so, so many ways (and continues to do so), one thing should remain the same: the recognition that we are recipients of mercy and grace. God’s grace, given freely. He has given us the privilege of living in a nation where we can and should worship freely, where we can receive the bountiful blessings from God. 

Then, in turn, we share our blessings with others. It really can happen. We will become more content, more peaceful, and less selfish as we stop and take inventory. 

I encourage you, right now, to consider all that we have, and all that we’ve been given. It will produce in our heart a thankfulness and the fragrance of love from our Heavenly Father. 

That, my friends, is better than all the coffee in the world.  

Happy Thanksgiving!