In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ~

It’s sometimes most evident after I’ve stumbled over and over and made an awful mess of things. When for the millionth time I’ve come to the end of myself and stopped to just breathe, then I say it.

Not words said religiously over meals but words said with complete surrender to the moments.  The only words—the only way—to enter His gates.

Thank you.

It’s not just the intentional logging of His unending gifts and graces in a gratitude journal. It’s not just the determined acknowledgment of the overwhelming blessings we so often take for granted. It’s the heart’s song when skies open and storms come and windshield wiper blades are barely working. It’s complete trust when the unexpected happens and your heart is crushed.

Living a life of thanks means determining that every single thing that comes your way is reason to thank Him because it’s not just that every good and perfect gift comes from Him {James 1:17} but that everything He gives is good. Even the hard things. The frustrating moments, the senseless mistakes. The breaking of the top of your cake plate that you’ve treasured for over thirteen years. The awful sickness that makes you realize just how precious good health is. The painful silence and strained relationships that drive you closer to Him, closer to the only Source of real peace.

It’s when you choose to breathe it all in and accept the pain, the lack, the disappointment and thank Him anyway. It’s abandoning the fear that threatens to grip the very life from you and choosing to trust Him. It’s when we do this that we find pure joy.

No heart’s desire, no earthly blessing can compare to the joy that is found in Him. The best of circumstances and the closest companion cannot compare to Him. So why do we allow the things of this earth to rob us of this Treasure? Creatures of habit, slow to learn. But with practice it gets easier.

If we’ll start with the obvious, with what we should’ve long ago practiced and thank Him for the benefits that He daily loads us with, then maybe thanks in the hard things won’t be so foreign.

What are you really thankful for this Thanksgiving? Let’s dig deeper, past the turkey and the time off from work and the fellowship with family and give the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise for all that this year has brought—even the hard stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving.