1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

This Thanksgiving, are you having a difficult time being thankful for the commonplace, ordinary things in life?  Let me help you become more thankful……come with me to these places and imagine……

• You are in Joplin finding safety in the closet of your home when the tornado hits.  A few moments later you walk out from the shattered remains of what was once your home, but is now an unrecognizable mess.  You start calling for your 6 year old child, because you can’t find her.

• You live in Africa and it’s your turn to go for water.  You know the walk is four miles and you’ll be tired and hungry when you get back home, but you also know there won’t be anything to eat.

• The phone rings at 2am and it’s the police, you are told that your wife has just died in a car accident.  Your two small children are sleeping soundly.

• You are 10 years old and you’ve just been sexually assaulted AGAIN, and you know that no one will listen when you tell.

Now back to reality: 

• Your child comes home after school.

• You wash the dishes in a sink with running water.

• The phone rings and it’s your spouse.  

• You spend Christmas surrounded by your immediate family in a warm, safe house with plenty of food to eat.

It is the most mundane of things that we should be rejoicing over.  The simplest events should excite us.  Although it seems cliché, we should be happy to live another day.  Unfortunately, there are many horrifying events taking place in this world, but it’s by these things alone that we should appreciate what we have and who we have it with.

God tell us to rejoice in all things; I realize this may be a very difficult task.  However, its better than complaining about everything and it keeps us closer to God’s will for our lives. 

Try to capture the moment this holiday season, don’t look backward with regret or forward with anxious anticipation.  Enjoy THIS moment:  Be nice to your spouse.  Spend quality time with your kids.  Call your parents or siblings.  If you don’t have these people in your life, visit a nursing home and spend time the people that long for some human contact.  

What if tragic things have already happened to you and your family?   To get through a tragedy it is essential to rely on the Lord.  However unfair your life seems, you must realize that it is the Lord that will sustain you through the journey, not drugs, alcohol, anger or self pity.  Using these methods to dull the pain only postpones true healing.

If you have to, write down what you are thankful for and look at it everyday, pretty soon it will be second nature to be thankful for your wonderful life!

Prayer: 

Lord, please help me to appreciate my life just the way it is, open my eyes to the beauty all around me.  Thank you for everything You have given to me.  Amen.