Thanksgiving is approaching, but—if you’re like me—you may be struggling to feel thankful this year. Maybe this is your first holiday with an empty chair at the table, or maybe you’ve recently received some devastating news. Maybe you dread the idea of gathering with family, or maybe you are aching because there’s no family to gather with.
If you are anxious about the holidays, or feeling disconnected, or silently screaming when someone asks you what you’re thankful for, first, know you are not alone. Even if the specific circumstances differ, you are not alone in your heartache. Second, please know that it’s okay to (deeply) grieve things that have been lost or stolen, things that are but shouldn’t be, and things that are not but should have been. I believe that God grieves those things along with us, and I want to share two Scriptures I hold tightly to in this season.
The first is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
This verse does NOT say that your circumstances are God’s will or that He caused them. It says that whatever your circumstances are, His will is for you to give thanks, pray, and rejoice. He doesn’t command us to be thankful FOR all situations but to be thankful IN all situations because that is how we invite God into them. Psalm 22:3 says He inhabits the praises of His people, so by entering into thanksgiving, we are welcoming His presence.
Thanksgiving is not about forcing ourselves to be grateful for the brokenness we are immersed in. That’s the result of a fallen world, which grieves God’s heart, too. Rather, thanksgiving is about magnifying and glorifying God in the brokenness because—even in the most devastating circumstances—He promises to work things together for our good. He promises to draw near, comfort us, and heal our hearts.
The second verse is Psalm 116:17, which says, “I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.”
A sacrifice is always costly. As one pastor said, “Sometimes, we forget that a sacrifice required something to die.” Our sacrifices to the Lord are not easy. But it’s in those very moments when our world is imploding and we don’t feel thankful that our grateful hearts serve as the most pleasing sacrifice. This side of Heaven is the only opportunity we will ever have to walk through pain, and grief, and sorrow, and choose to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Soon, there will be no more tears, death, or mourning. Which means this life is the only chance we have to look at God, even in our darkest moments, and proclaim that He is still worthy.
When my mind is a mess, and I can’t quite find my thankfulness, I remind my soul of who God is: a loving Father who gave His only Son to a world that would reject and crucify Him.
Make no mistake, if we had been in that crowd, we would have heard our own voices crying, “Crucify Him!” Yet the God of the universe, knowing the cry of our hearts, said, “Repent and believe, and I will forgive you. I will adopt you. I will love you and never stop loving you. I will never leave you, and you will never be alone again. I will break every chain that tries to hold you, and I will give you new life.”
That is my Father’s heart. And that is why I can be thankful in every circumstance. That is why I can rejoice, and pray, and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, even when it feels like my heart is breaking.
Even now,
I give thanks to you, Lord.
Grace Waves 