All things…. that’s a big statement for a year such as we’ve had.

It means we can’t NOT be grateful for every single happening in our lives. Covid, quarantine, losses, jobs, deaths, illness, mourning, grief, anxiety, worry. In my family’s case we’ve endured amputations, infections, losing and gaining foster kids, school struggles, grief beyond what I could have imagined… and even more. I’m quite sure many of you have had the same kind of year.

Yet this is a command to say thanks to God anyway. That’s a super tall order if you ask me, one not taken lightly, and certainly not done easily. Because what it demands is the will to look past the temporal and our visible surroundings into the eternal and the INvisible- blindly into what looks to be a huge empty void.

That space certainly isn’t empty, but it sure looks that way.

Yet our thanks is not based on the here and now. It can be for sure, the ‘good’ stuff is always an easy “thank you” to the Father. But the hard stuff doesn’t slip out of our hearts and off our lips quite so fast does it? We have to dig deeper into what we are thanking Him FOR in these cases.

For Your protection Lord, even when I don’t feel protected- against the devils schemes. Thank You.

For You guiding and leading my way, even when the surroundings are unfamiliar and downright scary. Thank you.

For Your hand of constant provision and sustenance- even when my bank account or table doesn’t seem to reflect it. Thank You.

For my losses, my griefs, my worries, my anxiety- because I have a Savior who is not without understanding of these tidal waves. Thank You.

For my trials and hardships- because one day they will all pass away and how much sweeter will the other side of heaven be by juxtaposition! Thank You.

We can thank the Father for His guidance, His knowing our best, His steady hand in the storms. We can thank him not for what is necessarily but what will be. We thank Him, when all else fails and we have nothing to give up anymore, for our eternity in heaven with Him – promised and sealed with Christ’s blood on our souls.

The days may look dark. This year full of turmoil with seemingly no end in sight. But today as we set aside time to give thanks I encourage you to look past the here and now and into the soon-to-be.

And give thanks in ALL your circumstances… for indeed we have much to be thankful for!

Love you all and have a blessed Thanksgiving!

~Bethany