Thanksgiving is nothing if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart to God in honor and praise for His goodness.

The sentence defines “Thanksgiving” not primarily as a holiday meal or civic observance, but as an interior act: a joyful (“glad”) and worshipful (“reverent”) turning of the heart toward God. It frames gratitude as inherently theocentric—thanksgiving reaches its fullest meaning when it becomes praise, acknowledging divine “goodness” as the source of life’s gifts. The phrasing also implies that without this spiritual orientation, the celebration becomes hollow (“nothing if not…”). In a Christian devotional register, the quote links gratitude, humility, and worship, presenting thanksgiving as both emotion and liturgical posture: an offering of honor rather than mere appreciation.