Rewind back to a year ago…
If you had asked me what I was thankful for, I would definitely have answers. Average, year after year answers that have generally stayed the same. Thankful for family, thankful for friends, thankful for a roof over my head and warm clothes and good food. And of course, thankful for Jesus, and His sweet salvation! Now these are all priceless things to be sure! I generally refer to myself as a “spoiled American”, but I’m finding I never knew just how spoiled I was and still am, really. I knew I was not entitled to these things and I only received them by God’s good grace and kindness. And I was thankful.
You Never Know What You’ve Got…
When they say you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone… I now find that to be incredibly true. See, had you asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have thought to tell you what a blessing certain things are. There are rights, privileges, and happenings that I simply never thought to thank God for.
Here are a few examples of unnoticed blessings:
~ Seeing the full face and emotion of the person you pass in the grocery store… open interaction with the cashier… worshipping and singing with fellow believers at your local church… unhindered by a mask.
~ Packed out churches of saints, gathering to visit, worship, learn, and visit some more, without worry of numbers, or guidelines, or whether or not they may gather at all.
~ Having 30 people to your house for a get together just to fellowship, feast and enjoy each others company. (We love having people in our home and have been referred to as “the party house”… in the best, most conservative way you could possibly imagine.)
~ Giving hugs or shaking hands without fear of offending another person. (Ha! Even me… the “non-hugger”.)
~ Walking through a crowd and thinking of 6 feet distances only in terms of funerals, blueprint measurements and the height of my husband… not how far away I must stay from people.
~ Every playground, splash pad, and community pool just bustling with families enjoying the outdoors… no “closed due to COVID” signs to dash your children’s excitement.
~ Being able to cough or sneeze without looking around to see how many suspicious or horrified stares you’re attracting.
~ The holidays being the only time you worry that the stores will run out of things. (And the thought of toilet paper hoarding being laughable.)
~ Sitting in the hospital at the bedside of a loved one as they struggle or suffer or heal. Able to pray with them, support them, advocate for them, offer a comforting touch… and just well… be there. (In April, my 30 year old brother suffered a stroke and was alone for three days in the hospital while his wife was home with their two young children waiting desperately for news that was sparse and generally unhelpful, unable to be there with him to help or speak up. She didn’t know from one hour to the next whether he was alive or dead or suffering or lonely. Praise our gracious Lord, my brother made a full recovery, but this one weighs so heavy on my heart.)
~ Visiting grandma or grandpa at the nursing home, letting them see you, holding their hand and letting them know you still love them, and that they aren’t forgotten.
~ Weeping and mourning TOGETHER at the funeral of a loved one.
~ Celebrating and rejoicing TOGETHER at the wedding of dear friends.
~ Mommies AND daddies at ultrasounds and prenatal appointments, to laugh, to weep, to anticipate, to make decisions TOGETHER!
~ Graduation ceremonies and open houses for your graduate! Sharing your pride and joy with the world over their accomplishments!
~ Choosing for yourself whether to send your kids to school or keep them home.
~ Holding a stable job without the worry of your place of employment shutting down for an unspecified amount of time.
~ Small businesses thriving that offer such a neat flavor to our society. History past down from generation to generation… not having to fear closing all together because of mandates and being unable to afford to stay afloat.
~ Eating at noisy, packed out restaurants. Every table filled, no phone number registry, no mask for your servers, no hand sanitizer stations. Just good ole’ crowded Saturday nights out with your people.
~ Inviting absolutely anyone you choose for holiday celebrations… family, friends, the random stranger. Oh, and grandma and grandpa being negotiable would be horrifying to consider.
~ Never realizing how much your government could overreach. Never realizing how far things could go in such a short amount of time.
~ Terms such as COVID-19, social distancing, mask up, stay home/stay safe, lockdowns, and toilet paper hoarding being foreign to our vocabulary.
~ Living life for the sake of LIVING rather than ceasing to live for the sake of simply staying alive.
I’ve never in my life been thankful for the things I just listed.
I was never thankful for them because it never once crossed my mind that they could be taken away. You can’t be thankful for things you never realized were blessings to begin with.
None of us knew a year ago how different our world would be in 2020. None of us knew the blessings we were basking in. None of us knew how much we had to be thankful for. We all knew that the things we love can be taken away, we all knew the blessings we enjoy might be gone tomorrow. But what we didn’t realize are how very many blessings we are given each day… how many blessings we simply don’t see.
How Can I Be Thankful?
I know this may not feel like the most blessed set of holidays. I know you may be struggling to find the beauty in any of it. I know you may feel more was taken from you than given to you this year. Some of you are concerned about the sickness, some of you are concerned about the cure (the tyranny). Some of you are simply mourning what’s lost (and much has been lost), and some of you are ready to go to battle to regain it all. Some of you are on lock down, some are not, some may choose to follow that mandate, some may choose not to. There is so much my human heart could say here, so many thoughts, feelings, and messy opinions… but honestly and truly, these things are for each and every one of you to decide and discern according to your conviction and God’s sufficient Word.
Still, no matter how you handle the 2020 holiday season, this Thanksgiving, there are non-negotiable ways to have and show grateful hearts.
First, Keep Calm
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)
If you feel like you’re living anxious and all out of sorts over this crazy world, this crazy year… please know there is peace to be had. If you are a Christian, your peace does not rely on you and your family staying safe, on life remaining as it has always been, on the government staying out of your business or anything else that can be taken or changed. Your peace is Christ. His name is Wonderful Councelor and Prince of Peace. He guards our hearts. He calls us to cast our cares on him, to delight in the Word of God. He is our healer, redeemer, and ultimate hope. Be at peace, dear friends, and rest in the knowledge that our earthly battles are short lived and there will be a day with no more tears. Rest in the words of Jesus:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)
Second, Be Grateful Always
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
I think there are two important and applicable lessons to be had there.
First, and probably a bit more obvious to all of us, is that we can’t just be thankful when the world is all that it ought to be in our eyes. We can’t just be thankful when we’re comfortable, when we have all we think we need. We are called to be thankful even when things seem terrible, even when we feel like nothing is going right, even when it seems many things we hold dear is being snatched away.
And secondly, if we are to be thankful in all circumstances, then maybe we should be more diligent in looking for things to be thankful for, even when it doesn’t seem obvious. Perhaps we should be seeking out reasons to be grateful rather than just briefly mentioning the obvious and calling it good. What if we look for the little things, what if we: “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8) every moment we have life and breath? What if we don’t just speak of God’s goodness on the good days or on the really bad days when we are trying to keep our head above water? What if we truly seek to find the beauty in the mundane? What if we walk with eyes wide open to things we’ve always taken for granted, taking joy in them before they disappear… because as we see, nothing on this earth is promised to last.
Lastly, Be Strong In The Lord
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
God has not brought his children to this year without every intention of growing us and blessing us through it. For “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28) and we absolutely must trust that to be true. Don’t allow these hard days to tear you down, rather let them teach you to stand strong. To have faith in adversity, strength for the battles, hope that all is not lost.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
Maybe, like me, you’re tired of discerning more in a year of time than you’ve ever had to in the entirety of your life. But then, maybe you’ve spent more time in the Word and seeking truth than ever before. Maybe, like me, you just want things to go back to normal. But then, maybe you’ve taken joy in things you never before realized were blessings to begin with. Maybe you cherish the small blessings more than ever.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)
There are many people suffering in the midst of this mess who do not have the same hope we have, and this is our opportunity to share it with them. Don’t cower in fear of all the evil that stands before you. Be strong and courageous. Take refuge in our good and faithful God. Be a light in the darkness.
In Closing
This Thanksgiving may not be the happiest, as far as what the word “happy” normally means to us, but it can certainly be the one where we realize blessings big and small as never before.
Perhaps this year, we will be a people more thankful for what we DO have. Perhaps we will look a little deeper than the surface. Perhaps we will see what really matters. Maybe, in realizing how brief and unsure this life truly is, we will live it with a bit more purpose and with grateful hearts for the opportunities we are given… and for every day we have with those we love.
So, whether you’re spending Thanksgiving alone or with everyone you love, I pray you’ll rest in the assurance of our ever-present Father and may you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving.
And count your blessings.
Name them.
One.
By.
One.
My Family Freedom 