Today, most of us will sit down to a traditional dinner with family members, many of whom we only see a couple of times a year. You might have turkey. You might have ham. Maybe you have something less traditional, but it is a tradition for you and your family. Whatever is served, it is likely comfort food at its best…Thanksgiving is definitely not about improving our physical health! Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, to our Creator, for all of the blessings He provides. Why we choose to overindulge in food we eat once a year…well, that’s another topic!
Being thankful might be hard this year. Maybe you’re going through a rough season. Maybe you’ve recently lost a loved one, are fighting with someone close to you, are missing someone at the table for whatever reason. Maybe this season is just tough…illness, money challenges…health challenges…defiant teenagers…distant spouses…whatever it is, you can be sure of two things. There are others going through similar tough times. And, most importantly, if you’ve given your life to Christ, you can be 100% confident that God still loves you, Jesus still covers you, and the Holy Spirit is still in you. Even in the seasons when you’re just not feeling it.
Whether you’re reading this on Thanksgiving or on some random day in the middle of June, the facts are the same. Sometimes, you will struggle to be grateful. Sometimes, you will find it hard to give thanks to God. Sometimes, you will feel alone, attacked, detached, or simply numb to the world around you. Sometimes, you will be on auto-pilot when you bow your head and pray and you just won’t feel the words you are praying.
But,
God still listens. God doesn’t just hear the words you speak out loud. God knows what is in your heart.
And
God will give you strength. God will give you peace. God will comfort you. God will carry you through this season, whatever you are going through. If you let Him.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 4-7
Will you let Him? It sounds so easy, but we often fight this. It’s easier to ignore Him, to be mad at Him, or even to blame Him for your trials. After all, why would a loving God let you go through hard times? But, think about it…all of God’s followers endured hard times, since the very beginning. Mostly, we bring it on ourselves…our imperfect selves make imperfect decisions, sometimes even micro-seemingly-insignificant-decisions land us in less than ideal situations. But, sometimes, our trials are 100% not caused by our own misdeeds. The death of a child, the victim of crime or a tragic accident…it’s impossible for our human brains to make sense of such tragedy. But, the good news is, we don’t have to make sense of it. We just have to love and trust God and have faith that He will use this time, even our toughest seasons, for good.
We must remember to be thankful, always. In the good times and the not so good times. Remember that God is good, all the time. And, if you let Him, he will be all that you need.
This world tries to convince us that we can do everything ourselves, that we don’t need anyone or anything. The world is wrong. We try to convince ourselves that if this person or that person were different, if we had more of this or less of that, everything would be better. We’re wrong. It’s not true. None of it.
When you admit your weakness, God will step in to be your strength. That is all you need.
In 2 Corinthians 12:6-10, Paul tells of a thorn in his flesh.
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
