Always a Reason to Be Thankful
This year has packed a punch more widespread and significant than any other in our lifetime. Every time I think I’ve seen the worst, a new devastating event is lurking around the corner. The global pandemic would have been enough to deliver a wallop on its own. As we layer on racial unrest, police brutality, hurricanes, and perhaps the most contentious election in history, it would be easy to become overwhelmed.
Even if you are taking these punches as they come, it can be easy to lose faith in humanity. The misinformation, conspiracy theories, and failure to listen evident in our social media feeds can be enough to send us spiraling into despair and make it increasingly difficult to love our neighbors well.
Despite all of this, there is always something to be grateful for. Many of us grew up repeating the mantra, “God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.” I believe this down to my bones, and I can’t imagine how I would have faced this year if I didn’t.
The Good Comes with the Bad
My mother finished a ten-month battle with brain cancer in 2017. Now, I have a dear friend walking her parents toward her own mother’s earthly finish line. She and I talk regularly about God’s mercies in the midst of the hard. They are there if we simply take the time and make the effort to look.
I watched my dad serve and love my mom in ways that were exceedingly beautiful. I knew he loved her, but I wouldn’t have seen the depth of the sacrifice in his love were it not for her health struggle. I captured some of the moments in photos to enable us all to remember and look back with gratefulness.
COVID changed our lives. We have three children. They have each sacrificed something, and I could not be more grateful for how they handled life during the virus. They experienced moments of grief, and sometimes their questions cut me to the quick. However, they understood why we wore masks and why distancing from our beloved community was necessary.
I’ve learned that God never leaves us in a place that is only bad. There is always good present. Granted, sometimes it is hard to see. If you find yourself in a dark place, I encourage you to ask our loving Father to open your eyes to his mercies, no matter how small.
Name the Good
We have had multiple conversations with our children about naming the good things that came out of COVID. Here are just a few of the things we named:
- More time together as a family
- Time outside to explore Colorado
- No longer taking hugs for granted
- Spending less money going out to eat
- Still being able to use our camper and gratitude that we bought it before COVID
I believe it’s critical, especially when we’re going through something hard, to name what we’re grateful for. When we do, we center our minds on God and his goodness. That doesn’t take away the pain of the trial. However, it does remind us that he is holding us and carrying us through it.
Perhaps you find yourself in a place so dark that not only do you not see the good, you don’t even want to ask God to show it to you. I hear you, and I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. I would humbly encourage you to invite a friend alongside you to hold up your arms in the battle like Aaron did for Moses. Let someone stand in the gap for you. Let them drag you through the darkness—kicking and screaming if necessary—into a sliver of light.
The Good Is God
Any time you can name the good, no matter how trite or minimal it might seem compared to the mountain you’re facing, you are naming God himself. You are seeing him. You are giving him credit. You are praising him. You are making him known. He is the author of all good things, and he is carrying you through your trial. He can handle your heartbreak and your anger, but he also calls you to see his goodness. You can do both. You need not live entirely in one camp or the other.
God is a god of mercy, grace, and goodness. As followers of Christ, we must look for, name, and meditate on his faithfulness with gratitude. This simple act, even in the midst of heartache, can remind us of his presence and point us toward his goodness. It can keep us from falling into despair. It can remind us of his sovereignty.
Lord, we know we are never in control. We only ever have the illusion we are. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that we control nothing. I don’t believe you cause challenges like the ones we are facing today, but I do believe you uses them to teach us to trust you more and that you carry us through them. Help us recognize and name what we’re grateful for so that you will draw us near and reveal more of yourself. Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He relents from sending calamity.” (Psalm 103:8)
“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!” (Psalm 31:19)
Reach for More
I encourage you to write down how you feel. Whether you journal, use social media to share your thoughts, or simply jot them down on a sticky note, write them down. Use a method you can come back to. I enjoy putting many of my thoughts on social media so that they show up in my memories later. It’s a great reminder of God’s goodness, and I regularly encounter social media memories I would have forgotten had I not written them down.
is a Jesus follower, wife, mom of three, church planter, finance director, and lover of sarcasm and deep conversation with friends. She also loves camping, rafting, skiing, sewing, and having people over. Amy blogs with her husband at fringechurch.com.
Photograph © Micheile Henderson, used with permission
