Give Thanks

Often people wonder about God’s will for their lives.   We are told in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks are part of God’s will for us, explicitly stated in Scripture!  Once we know God’s will, it should be easy to follow; however, that phrase, “in all circumstances” often convicts me that I have strayed.  As everyone seeks out the best Black Friday deals, I’d like to reflect on Thanksgiving.

I remember Thanksgiving gatherings as a child.  My grandmother would usually host anyone who could come to her house.  Aunts, Uncles, cousins, friends...all were welcome around her table (or multiple tables).  We would see relatives who lived in other states that one time of the year.  We had a chance to catch up with one another and share some fond memories over food.  Each year the people who came changed.  People aged, some people couldn’t make it traveling that far, and older relatives eventually passed away.  That time around the table was a constant.  As my grandmother has grown older, we don’t all gather at her house every year and fewer people are able to travel for the holidays.  However, the times when we do get together are precious.  My parents and siblings have continued to gather together for holidays even if extended family is no longer gathering.  This year all those things changed.  Gathering together was no longer an option.

Though we hadn’t planned on gathering for Thanksgiving, I still found myself angry and hostile to the idea that we couldn’t.  Isn’t that how sin usually works?  We don’t really want to do something until we are told we can’t.  Paul expressed it this way in Romans 7:15, 21-23, “For I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate...So I find it to be the law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”  Rather than being thankful for all of the blessings I have received this year, I was pouting and grumbling about orders passed that kept my family from traveling.  As Thanksgiving Day drew near, I realized that I was in sin.  I was supposed to be thankful for what I had, not complaining about what I did not.  While easy to recognize, sin is often hard to quell.  The Holy Spirit had to continually work in my heart, and is still working, to make me thankful rather than complaining.

I have been saved from my sin by God’s grace.  I am no longer bound by my sinful nature.  I have a loving, heavenly Father who saw the wretch that I am and provided a way for me to be reconciled to him.  I am thankful for Jesus who came to this earth, lived a perfect life, died for my sins, and then rose from the grave, beating sin and death.  I am thankful for my salvation in Jesus who gives me his righteousness that I may be welcome in God’s presence.  I have the Holy Spirit to guide and convict me when I am in error.  I am thankful for His continual work and sanctification in my life.  I am thankful for a husband who loves and cares for me and our family.  He leads us well both in earthly and spiritual matters.  He works hard to provide for us and make a way for me to stay home with our children and homeschool.  I have a healthy and resilient daughter who has a positive outlook.  She is always one of the first people to try to cheer someone up or encourage them.  She is friends with everyone she meets, and there are very few who do not return the sentiment.  This year we were also blessed with a happy, healthy baby boy who continues to grow and learn.  He may keep us from getting much done, but we enjoy his distractions.  I am thankful for technology that allows us to stay in contact with friends and family who live far away.  We were able to video chat with my parents and call my grandma on Thanksgiving and talk with them.  Though my parents live in a different state than all of their children and grandchildren, they are still able to see and talk to them regularly.  God has provided well for us this year, and I know he will continue to meet our needs in the year to come.  I have so many material blessings beyond the wonderful people God has placed in my life, and so much for which to be thankful.

Today I am going to be thankful for what I have, and I will embrace whatever circumstances God brings my way.  I know that this world has troubles; there will never be a life free from them. Even if we face trying times, loss of loved ones, government restrictions, or other such circumstances, we can rejoice in our salvation.  We can be thankful for the blessings that God has given us.  “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)