The day after Thanksgiving. We are stuffed full of turkey with all the trimmings and pie. I hope we are filled to the brim with thankfulness as well. I know I can get so caught up in all the preparations and cooking that I leave little time to actually think about the blessings I am supposed to be celebrating on this holiday.
But today, when all we have to do is warm up some leftovers, I am contemplating what it means to be truly grateful. This has been a very difficult Fall for a lot of us, so the thought of trying to be thankful can be somewhat hard. What does it mean when the Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances? (I Thessalonians 5:18) When so many of us have lost so much recently, how can we do this?
There’s a little hint in verse 17, it simply says pray continually. Pour out your heart to God, all the hurts, anger, sadness and disappointments. As you are honest with God, (and yourself) you make space in your soul by giving your heavy burdens to God. When you do this, you just might be surprised to find room in your heart for thankfulness. As you see your loving Heavenly Father gently carrying you, thank Him for it!
Even on the very hardest days, we can usually find at least one thing to be grateful for. For me sometimes it is something as small as noticing the beautiful Fall colors and saying a simple, “thank you.” When we give thanks to God, He will give us victory in our lives. “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 15:57
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.” I Chronicles 16:8
Check out my post, ‘Best Day Ever’ for more on this topic.
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