Next week I will not be writing the blog, as it is a holiday week, and I need the break before we get to Advent. Since I won’t be writing during Thanksgiving week, I want to talk about gratitude today. To me, thankfulness is the answer to so many difficult experiences. I find that when I give thanks, it cuts through much of the anger and bitterness that I can be feeling. Let me give you an example. We can be very upset about how Covid is disrupting our upcoming holidays. Personally I will be spending it totally alone. I have been invited to a couple of gatherings, but I am choosing to follow the CDC guidelines to keep all of us safe. Florida has virtually no restrictions, so it comes down to personal choice here. Now I could be distraught because I won’t be with my sons and family. I could wallow in self-pity. However, I am choosing—note that it IS a choice—to be thankful. This is the first year in over four decades that I won’t need to get up to make the dinner, pull out the china and crystal, decorate the table, and then do all the cleanup. Now THERE’S something for which to be thankful! Instead, I am going to pick up my meal from Cracker Barrel. Yes, I am truly grateful for that. I will plan activities for Thanksgiving that will be special for me, including FaceTime calls with my family (grateful for technology), and going to the beach (grateful to be here). Do you understand what I am trying to say? This upcoming week, every time that something upsets you, figure out how to be thankful for something related to the situation, and then give God thanks. I am looking forward to a brand new way to “do” Thanksgiving. May you have a blessed one as well!
Dear Lord, remind us that Thanksgiving is about gratitude, not necessarily traditions. Four hundred years ago the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Their first act was to give you thanks. Help us to find ways to be grateful during this time. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
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