Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Are you thankful today? I mean really thankful. As the name suggests, today we speak our gratitude for the many blessings in our lives: our family, our jobs, the food on our plates. We express thankfulness to friends for their loyalty, give thanks for safety and togetherness, and gush over the blessings of health and shelter.

 

But what if you don’t have the idyllic meal prepared in front of you today, the typical holiday scene? What if you’re going through a phase of life of uncertainty, of pain, of frustration, of drought? Giving thanks can be difficult to do when you’re struggling to emerge from the tough times surrounding you.

 

I remember being in a phase of life, several months, when I didn’t know what God was doing. We had just moved into a new apartment in a new city, and we quickly found out that our time there would be unforgettable. We were living beneath an unhappy couple, and their child and dog were caught in the middle of their terrifying fights. The screams were debilitating. Weird and scary things were happening around us, and it seemed to escalate. In the eight months we were there, we experienced chilling stares into our apartment, blood (and random asparagus) found on our patio, a helicopter scoping out a suspected armed gunman at the community college just blocks away on our first night there (that ended up being a false alarm), and more. To hear our tale, you’d assume we weren’t in the greatest of neighborhoods, but we were actually in a desired shopping area and a nice section of town.

 

It’s scary when you don’t feel safe in your own home, and I certainly wasn’t feeling at ease. I remember being terrified, and asking God to find us another place to live. While it was one of the most difficult times for us, we saw God work in amazing ways. Our story surrounding our time there is much longer and I won’t get into all the details, but God provided. Out of the fear, He gave us hope. From the uncertainty, He gave us comfort.

 

Even in stressful, miserable, painful times there is still something to be thankful for, even though it can be so hard to look past it. We’ve all experienced those moments, and the example I’ve given is one of many, but even during the hardest of times we can still be thankful. I was thankful that we weren’t harmed, that we had a place to live and food in our fridge. I’m thankful that God worked miracles in that little two bedroom apartment. I’m thankful for our time there, because I believe we had to experience it to see God’s splendor and His provisions in getting us out. I think we had to go through that tough time to see His hand moving, even if I was distressed and weary.

 

And while not every situation turns out exactly how we think or how we hope it will or our vision is blocked with hurt, know that God is still good. We can’t be reminded enough. Moments of complete despair and trial can cause us to forget the blessings in our lives, but never let a temporary hardship overcast even the most mundane of privileges. Think back on moments of joy and ponder His provisions in the past. Remembering how we’ve been cared for by Him before and looking at the gifts we have daily bring out true gratitude and thanksgiving. There is still something to be thankful for even if life isn’t going according to plan.

 

So are you truly thankful today? Are you thankful in the midst of stress or worry? Are you grateful when things are rolling along just fine and when the road is bumpy? I hope we all can, myself included, be thankful today on this Thanksgiving Day and everyday for the blessings we have during every possible season in our lives.

 

What are you thankful for today? Let me know in the comments!

 

Cheers!