When Thanksgiving seems difficult | RecordCourier.com

Thursday, our national day of thanks carries a rich tradition older than our country itself. Thanksgiving was our first national holiday, reserved in 1789 by President Washington, "to be consecrated by the people of these states in the service of this great and glorious being, who is the beneficent author of all the good that has summer, that is to say, where it will be, so that we can all join together to give back our sincere and humble thanks. " [Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation]

The Bible says that giving thanks to God is good for us. Three of the shortest verses of the scriptures say how important it is: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for such is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18)

We all have many things for which we can be grateful to God: it is humbling and comforting to reflect on all the blessings that can only be considered as the goodness of God to us.

But what about moments when giving thanks is difficult, if not impossible? Our mind turns to those who have lost all their material possessions – and some families, their loved ones – in the wildfires in California. The more we think about those who are currently suffering a calamity, the longer the list goes on. I know a young mother whose 3 year old son is battling cancer and countless other people in crisis. How can these people give thanks? Would not that require a particular type of madness?

Surely God does not ask us to be grateful for a tragedy or disaster when they strike. The verse encourages us to "give thanks in all circumstances". We should give thanks in the midst of hard times, not necessarily for calamity itself. Why? God himself walks with us through everything we face.

Even though we may even feel angry with God for the pain we or others endure, he never abandons us. We can thank God for our relationship with him and for his permanent presence, no matter what situation we are facing.

I have observed a profound example of this recognition during a trip to the Middle East earlier this year. We were visiting a Syrian family now living in a tent in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. They came from the middle class and worked in Aleppo, until the murderers of the Islamic State invaded their city. On the day of their visit, relatives told their loved ones that their home had just been destroyed during a government-sponsored bombing campaign. The husband remarked, "We have lost everything now, but it was worth it to have found Jesus."

This man could have focused on everything he lost; instead, he expressed gratitude for his new relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. This relationship, which persists through all the trials we face and which supports us with the love and peace of God, always provides us with a motive for thanksgiving.

Don Baumann is a local pastor at Hilltop Community Church.