Being Thankful When It Isn't Easy

In my post, yesterday, I welcomed this week of Thanksgiving. One day just isn’t enough for us to express our gratitude for God’s goodness and mercy for so many blessings. I know, however, Thanksgiving isn't always a joyous and thankful time for everyone. I know that life is going terribly wrong for some people who can’t think of even one thing for which to be thankful. They are hurting way too much. Oh, believe me, I have been in a wallow of self-pity before, and I know those feelings. Of course, we ALWAYS have something to be thankful for, but when we’re in a season of distress, it’s enough to get out of bed in the morning and to put one foot in front of the other.

I'm thinking about the California fires and those precious people who no longer have a home to go to; for those family members who lost their loved ones in the fires. Then there is the medical test that comes back positive. A spouse wants a divorce. A child is wayward. The mortgage company calls in the loan. God seems so far away, and thanksgiving and praise is the last thing to bubble up from our hearts. We can't see His goodness, and circumstances scream that He has forgotten us.

To praise and thank God in those times requires personal sacrifice. It takes an act of our will to let go of it all before a God we sometimes don't understand. When we bring a "sacrifice of praise," we choose to believe that, even though life is not going as we think it should, God is still good and He's up to something good and can be trusted. When we choose to praise God in spite of the storms, He is honored, and our faith grows deeper.

The Apostle Paul set such a good example for us. He wrote, “In everything give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. How could he be thankful in everything, in imprisonments, in beatings, in, really, all kinds of adversity that most people would find tragic and unbearable? It is because Paul was a “pilgrim” of a different sort, one who trusted God to take care of him in the very best way. He didn’t say “Give thanks FOR all things”, but “give thanks IN all things”. “In spite of all this painful stuff, I give YOU thanks, Almighty God!" Today, I offer this prayer for all of us, no matter where we are in our heart and soul:

Lord, teach us to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all our daily experiences of life. You promised that you would be near to the brokenhearted. Please be near to us today, so much so, that we feel Your closeness and your warm embrace. St. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Lord, there are times when it's so hard to rejoice, but help us to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks IN all our circumstances. Help us to ALWAYS be able to find the good in whatever we're going through. May the power of the enemy be defeated in our lives through our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Please change our outlook and attitude into one of joyful thanksgiving for your goodness and mercy. We choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise. Teach us the power of a thankful heart. May this be our song every day: “I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 7:17-18:1). In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

I'm starting this Thanksgiving week with so much gratitude to God for His love and His many blessings -- far more than I could ever deserve! I am not lucky, fortunate, or merely disciplined – I am the recipient of God’s grace – His unmerited favor because I am His and He is mine. It's not enough to just say “Thank you!”, but to do something with the grace and blessings I’ve been given. And I know there is a responsibility that comes with privilege. I am blessed to bless. Gifted so I can give and that giving may come as just being a bright light that someone else may need.

Case in point. While in Tulsa, it was hammer down getting Mom’s things packed up for her move to my sis-in-law, Karen’s home. Mom isn’t moving fast these days, so we realized, neither should we. We’re giving her time and space to make these many easy AND difficult decisions. After all, she has an accumulation of many years of living -- 95 to be exact. She needed rest from her decision-making on Saturday morning, so I decided to go visit Karen’s husband’s Mom, Margaret, also 95 years old and who lives in a long care facility here in Tulsa. I was powered up to "make her day".

I drove just a few miles up the road to Inverness Village, her home for many years now, and tiptoed into her room because I could see she was dozing. George and Karen warned me that she has some memory loss now and may not recognize me. I gently tapped her leg and her drowsy eyes opened wide, and the biggest smile appeared on her face as she said, “Donna, you are here. I’m so glad to see you!” She was dressed to the nines, as usual. She was warm and welcoming and I could tell I made her day, but, more importantly, she made mine with the brightness in her eyes and the joy overflowing coming from her. I said, “Margaret, you look beautiful as always, but just look at your hair – it is so full and long!” With the humor I’ve always known her to have, she said, “I know. It’s because I’m ‘on the pill’” I laughed so hard and she said, “I love to say that to see people’s reaction. But, seriously, I’m taking a pill that has made my hair come back and it’s thicker than ever!” Then she went on to tell me about how much she loves living at Inverness. "They take such good care of me. The people (nurses, nurse’s aides, etc.) are so helpful and kind. I love the activities -- just look at the paintings I've done. I just love doing that." Me: “Margaret, you’ve got your Christmas up already!” Margaret: “Oh, no. I keep my Christmas up all year. It makes me happy all year.” She had so much enthusiasm and energy that it made me tear up with gratitude for her gratitude.

When I lived in Tulsa, I took communion to her on Sundays. I asked if anyone was bringing her communion and she said there is a lovely lady who brings her communion regularly and then she wanted to show me the chapel. "If you’ll push me in the wheel chair, I’ll show you!” So we took a stroll down the hall to see this beautiful little chapel, and as we rolled along, she waved and spoke to everyone we passed.

After spending about an hour with her, as my typical routine before I would leave, I had prayer with her and as I prayed, I thanked God for this precious bright light that blessed me more than I could have ever blessed her. I thanked God for caring so lovingly for her. I thanked God that her gratitude and heart of Thanksgiving made me even more grateful for my life.

When it comes to the understanding of the value of gratitude, sometimes it helps to look at the wisdom of others. Margaret has learned to count her blessings – a wheelchair that carries her to her next activity, a “pill” that’s made her hair grow, the ability to paint some pictures, her home – be it a room with many family mementos everywhere, her clothes, her children that come to see her, her beautician (she was emphatic about her hair appointment at 1 o’clock). Maybe her simplified life is far from where you and I may be, but oh that we can be as thankful for all that we have in our lives.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18