As Thanksgiving has been approaching (and is now here!) I’ve been thinking about gratitude a lot lately. When the boys were little we used to go around the circle before dinner and talk about what we were thankful for in the past year. Some years we would hear things like “I’m thankful for my family, or my cousins or my Legos.” It was a good exercise for us even in the hard years to remember that there is always something tangible to give thanks to God.

It has been a Whopper of a year hasn’t it? Recently a Pastor I used to work with at Gloria Dei reached out to me. His name is Harvey. We took some time to catch up. We talked about the status of our nation and the pandemic. We shared a bit about our home life and family. In our conversation we talked about how there was so much to be grateful for,  for us it is all in how we navigate the difficult times. I shared how I have felt God’s presence through all of this and how I have never felt alone even in the darkest times and for that I am so grateful! Sometimes I don’t see glory in tragedy or pandemic, but I still can praise God because I know He is there.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says

“Give thanks in all circumstances” 

Notice the Bible doesn’t command us to feel thankful in all circumstances. Instead it commands us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” When I begin to praise God in a difficult situation, even if I don’t feel like it, many times I begin to see a glimpse of God’s glory 

Gratitude changes the lens through which we see the circumstances in our little slice of time. Thanksgiving changes our perspective despite broken dreams, broken relationships, tumultuous circumstances, and unfulfilled longings. 

Although this year’s Thanksgiving may look a little different for many of us may we still find a way to give thanks to God.

– Diane Sell
Director of Volunteer and Care Ministry