Thanksgiving, which, believe it or not, descends upon us in just one week, doesn’t usually get much fanfare. Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, and associated with “boring” colors of brown and burgundy, it doesn’t give us much time or reason to deck the halls. It’s not a day we acknowledge through music in the weeks leading up to it because there is no such thing as Thanksgiving music—although there should be. For a lot of people, it’s a lowkey, even obligatory, event—more of a prelude to Christmastime than its own celebration. I know I personally don’t count down the days to Thanksgiving because I’ve already started my Christmas countdown. Besides that, the whole thing centers around a turkey dinner, and despite what Snoopy and Woodstock would have us believe, most of us don’t exactly jump for joy at that choice of entrée. We collectively agree that chicken, beef, ham, or something totally unorthodox like tacos or spaghetti, would all be better than turkey. But we can’t get away from it because it’s tradition. If we’re being honest, what we all really look forward to about this day is the pie and the permission to officially begin celebrating Christmas.
Be that as it may, I think the ordinary, underwhelming-ness of Thanksgiving is actually the perfect reminder that we don’t have to have a lot of exciting things on the literal or metaphorical table before us to be thankful. God’s Word tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances”, even when we’re faced with an unappetizing bird and perhaps surrounded by some contentious family members. While it’s difficult to find reasons to thank God sometimes—especially in darker seasons like when we have no one to celebrate the holiday with, are struggling financially, suffering an illness, dealing with grief, or navigating another bleak circumstance—there is always something to be thankful for.
We don’t have to have a lot of exciting things on the literal or metaphorical table before us to be thankful.
This truth shouldn’t make us feel unseen in our suffering, nor convicted about finding it hard to give thanks. Rather, it should encourage us that, no matter what we’re walking through, “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We can be sure that, if we remain close to Jesus and keep trusting Him in the storms, everything will work out for our good in one way or another, and for the good of His Kingdom. At the end of the meal, no matter how unpleasant it was, there will always be pie. And in another month, Christmas will come.
So if you’re having trouble finding reasons to be thankful this year, you are not alone. God wants to meet you where you are and surround you with His comfort. He doesn’t want you to stifle your feelings and not acknowledge the hard things. But He also doesn’t want you to lose sight of Him and all He plans to do.
If you look around this Thanksgiving and can’t name something in your present circumstances you are thankful for, try remembering His promises and being thankful simply for His goodness and for the things to come. The good gifts you haven’t received yet. In all situations, He brings restoration and new birth—which is exactly what we will celebrate when the drab colors of Thanksgiving fade away and are replaced by bright Christmas lights and the reminder that He has already sent us a Savior.
