Thanksgiving

When things are going well for me, I am more apt to be thankful. When things are not going well, my response is, “Thanks a lot, God,” with no real gratitude. But this is the way I am. As my circumstances change, so do my feelings of appreciation of life change. Consequently, my feeling of gratefulness is like a roller coaster ride—up and down all the time.

To help me be more like a Child of Light—one who does “everything without complaining and arguing” (Philippians 2:14) and one who gives thanks in everything (I Thessalonians 5:18), I try to focus on something that doesn’t change—something that is consistent and constant. And the only thing that is unchanging in this world is God and His Word. And for this I can be thankful all the time.

When I feel like no one’s listening, recognizing me, or feeling alone, I can be thankful that God sees me and hears me (Psalms 33:13-15, 18:6). He is always with me and He will never abandon me (Hebrews 13:5). When I feel like no one understands or cares, I can be thankful that God understands (Hebrews 4:15) and God cares (Matthew 6:26). When I feel like my life and my world is falling apart, I can be thankful that God says that He sustains (Psalms 54:4) and He empowers me (Psalms 18:32). He holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). He’s going to work out everything okay (Romans 8:28) and He will finish the work that He has begun (Philippians 1:6).

When I do wrong and fail, and when I feel ugly and unloved, I can be thankful that He forgives me (Hebrews 8:12) and loves me in spite of what I did and the way I feel about myself (I John 3:19-20).

I am thankful that God is a good God, a faithful God (II Timothy 2:13), a God who loves me (Romans 8:38-39) and that will never change (Hebrews 13:8).