If you’re finding it difficult to not be crying all the time these days, you’re not alone. The sadness in our world right now can feel truly overwhelming, even when you are one of the fortunate ones. Even acknowledging your blessings can bring on tears because we ache for those in far worse circumstances. Looking around at how much harder others have it does not automatically result in feelings of gratitude. Small opportunities to lift another’s load might help, but they can also make our efforts feel futile. Mere drops in the ocean.
I get it.
So now, here we are at Thanksgiving time 2020. A year ago, none of could have guessed what our world would look like today. And none of us can predict what it will look like a year from now. Do we ignore Thanksgiving this year, in hopes that next year delivers a true celebration of survival and new beginnings? What if those hopes don’t materialize?
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| Our dining table |
Thanksgiving is not a good plan. I think most of us agree, but we can’t figure out the best way to acknowledge Thanksgiving.
As tempting as it is to make a long list of things I am (or ought to be) grateful for and call it a blog post, I’m not going to do that to you. Your list needs to be truly your own. I will, however, encourage you to make one. I can think of four reasons why.
1. For your mental health. Experts tell us that expressing gratitude can improve your mood, reducing stress and depression. Giving thanks makes you more optimistic. Boy, do we all need that right now.
2. For your physical health. Conveying gratitude can often lead to more healthy habits like eating well and exercising, which leads to higher energy levels, better sleep, and a stronger immune system. Talk about a contribution to the world at large!
3. For your spiritual health. Being grateful to God is an act of obedience to him. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18). Things do tend to go better God’s way. Almost as if he’d made us or something.
4. For the sake of those around you. Isn’t it a lot more fun hanging around people who are habitually grateful? You can improve the lives of those you love simply by adopting a more grateful attitude yourself.
Those are all no-brainers, yet we still find them challenging. I get that, too. Let’s help each other, shall we? Try writing down one good thing that happened each day. If you live with others, ask them, maybe at mealtime, to name something they’re thankful for today. Above all, tell God how grateful you are for his good gifts—and then name them. He’ll love it. (Don’t believe me? Think about how you feel when your own kids express appreciation to you and remember that you’re made in God’s image. Stands to reason.)
American songwriter Johnson Oatman Jr. didn’t have a perfect life any more than you or I do. But in 1897, he penned the words that became the beloved hymn, Count Your Blessings.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
(And if, like me, you’re old enough to know that tune, I hope it’s stuck in your head all week.) Happy Thanksgiving!
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