THANKSGIVING 2020: Thankful in the Midst of it All

The world celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, but how is your heart? Is it truly full of thanks? Are you thankful in the midst of it all? 2020 has been quite a year. We’ve all experienced changes we would’ve never expected, but for us as Christians, the command is still the same:

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
– Philippians 4:4

You may sincerely wonder: How can I rejoice with so much going wrong all around me? The answer is this:

It’s a matter of perspective.

Yesterday as I sent out my Thanksgiving text messages, I told a loved one: “Today, even with unmet desires, I choose to be grateful for where I currently am- realizing that I could be in a much worse position!”

So often we feel down, unable or unwilling to rejoice, because our perspective is off. We are looking around at what others have, at the image of ‘living’ that the world portrays, or even at our vision boards with dreams yet realized. This has a tendency of getting us down.

However, if we shift our attention and look back then our spirits will lift. Look back at the situation that you never saw a way out of. Fix your attention on all that God has already delivered you from. Now, you’re on your way to rejoicing!

Though there is more, there is so much that God has already done! Rejoice!

“He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.”
– Psalm 111:4-5

God has not forgotten about us. We are not far from Him. As we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Additionally, if we are born again believers, then He dwells IN us! What more could we ask for?

Though we may have unmet desires, which is good as we’re not settling in life, we must never lose sight of all that we already have. Nothing in this world can compare to all the riches that we have in Christ Jesus.

It’s a matter of perspective.

We must abide in Him and keep our mind on Him, which will allow us to experience His perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). His peace yields joy which breeds optimism and hope for all that is to come. With this understanding, we can absolutely be thankful in the midst of it all.

With love and sincerity,