A Time to Be Thankful

“As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. Whenever, meaning – now; wherever, meaning – here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be – unbelievably – possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now.”

Ann Voskamp One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

During this month of November we are reminded to give thanks all around us. It’s easy to give thanks for food, beautiful weather, and big answers to prayer – the obvious.

But how easy is it to give thanks for the hard days, the lonely nights, the broken dreams? Giving thanks for the hurt and not so good days is hard.

In 1 Thessalonians Paul writes “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. But oh, how hard it is to be thankful when life is hard.

My sweet friends, I know what it is like to have hard days. I haven’t always found it easy to be thankful on those difficult days but can I whisper something to you? While it may be difficult to be thankful for the hard things; we can be thankful for what God is going to do in our lives through those hard things.

In the hard days God will comfort us, strengthen us and give us a story to tell if we let Him. When we focus on finding something to be thankful for He will give us a joy that will strengthen and carry us through the hard days.

A few years ago I read  One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. I was amazed by how much Ann’s book changed my outlook on joy and thankfulness in all things.

This season of Thanksgiving may be a time filled with overwhelming joy for you or it may be a season of pain and hurt. Whatever you are going through I would love for you to share something you are thankful for. You can leave a comment here or you can join me over on The Calm of His Presence facebook page where this month we will be counting thanks together.

In His Calm,

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