Can we be thankful even when we go through difficulties?
Thanksgiving 2020 may look a little different as we try to adjust and scale back due to the pandemic restrictions; but we can still be grateful for the opportunities that we have to be thankful.
I was recently reminded of the worst thanksgiving I had. It was about 18 years ago. We were expecting and suddenly my water broke about 5 months too soon. We fought for weeks to get treatment to save the child until we finally were transferred to a place where a glimpse of hope awaited us. We arrived at the hospital and on Thanksgiving day we learned that our child did not survive the trip and he had died. I was crushed. I remember I closed my eyes and without fully understanding why and I thank the Lord. At that moment I felt peace and a strange kind of joy. One that came by knowing God was with me. What came after was the most intense 12 hours of my life where I had to deliver a dead child in a room by myself with no support from friends and family. It took me a while to come to terms with the events that took place the weeks before, on that day, and the days that follow. I might never know why this happened but one thing I know: God was with us!
God was with us then and God is with us now in 2020. He is with us in the midst of pandemic, in the midst of the restrictions, in the midst of the sorrow it has brought to countless victims and in the midst of all our struggles. I know right now seems like the end of the world and it is stressful to adjust to the changing times but if we find it in us to be grateful for his hand upon us we might find joy in the midst of these difficult times.
The Bible invites us to be thankful and to rejoice always! I love the story in the book of Habakkuk. HEre we see the prophet questioning God in the midst of dire circumstances. They were in captivity, exiled in Babylon and there was no apparent hope but there was a promise, a vision that would need to be sustained by faith until manifested. I believe we are in a Habakkuk moment. We must hold on to God’s promises and live by faith choosing to rejoice in the midst of our circumstances.
Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights! Habakkuk 3:17-19
So, today, I encourage you to COUNT your blessings. No matter what is going on, your circumstances or the limitations and struggles of today we can all find something to be grateful for and rejoice.
Key Bible Verse:
He proved he's on my side; I've thrown my lot in with him. Now I'm jumping for joy, and shouting and singing my thanks to him. Psalms 28:7
I encourage you today to be grateful and position your heart to give thanks. XOXO 💕~Barb