In Not For

I’m so excited for Thanksgiving! I’ve been dreaming of pies and casseroles for weeks! I’m not being facetious here. When I’m snoozing and lost in my dreams, I find myself in an isolated place, warm coffee in hand, surrounded by books and pies. There you go! You now have the inside scoop on my fantasies. Thanksgiving is about as close to my dream world as reality gets. I love it! 

Tomorrow, we will designate a day to give thanks. Gratitude is a simple act, but one that isn’t always easy. The more we have, the more we expect, and lives that are swimming in seas of blessing can have an ironic side effect. Blessings can become increasingly opaque the more that they abound. The car repair negates the blessing of the car. The work deadline negates the blessing of the job. In every single circumstance, there is always cause to give thanks. It’s not easy, but it is simple. There is always a blessing within our purview. Always. 

If there is a set of verses that seem ridiculously unattainable, it must be 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Within the 3 short verses, it’s 3 words that really trip me up. They are the words: always, constantly, and everything. I have a difficult time focusing on one thing, period, so imagine some-thing that’s supposed to be always, constant, and in everything! 

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have you ever considered how we grow in gratitude? I love that we have a day of Thanksgiving, but what does it look like to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in everything? It takes discipline to move in this direction. We won’t drift there. But when we approach our God who is rich in mercy and abundant in love, that presupposition should fundamentally shape our perspective! The more God’s character is actualized in our lives, the more we grow in our gratitude.

But how does this work? Rejoice, pray, and give thanks are 3 commands that align us with God’s will. If we’ve ever wondered what God’s will is for our lives, here we have it! To rejoice is to acknowledge that God is for us. Choosing joy is to find our comfort and confidence in God because He is for us. To pray is to acknowledge that God is with us. To give thanks is to acknowledge that God is in it! 

If God is for us, and with us, there are no circumstances we face that God isn’t in it. To give God thanks in everything doesn’t mean that everything is good. We don’t give God thanks for everything, but we give Him thanks in everything! We can do that because He is for us and with us! It’s an incredible promise of God that He is at work in every circumstance of our lives. 

Thanksgiving is the day we flex our gratitude muscles. We could fill up the entire day giving thanks to God if we truly paused to reflect on all He has done. He’s given us salvation, relationships, shelter, provision, and so much more. For every challenge we face, there are likely 10 blessings we could proclaim. Gratitude recalibrates our perspective and reminds us of our immense blessings. Thank you, Jesus, for your unfailing love in everything!