Thanksgiving “In”

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

“Why do we get a whole week off at Christmas, but only a few days off for Thanksgiving?” questioned one of my sons. Without missing a beat, my other son answered, “Because Christmas is Jesus’ birth, and Thanksgiving is when the Pilgrims just had dinner.” I love my kids!

The actual celebration of Thanksgiving in our nation is because the Pilgrims had dinner, but as Christians we have a much deeper understanding than celebrating the peace between pilgrims and Native Americans and the abundance of food because of their peace. We broaden it into a time of reflecting on what God has done for us. This year has been tough for many people, though. Do we have to thank God for losing our jobs, burying a loved one, or being diagnosed with a long-term illness? Does God require us to thank him for those things?

There is a little word in the above verses that, to me, allows us to grieve and acknowledge our sorrow over something in our lives. “Give thanks in all circumstances.” It does not say, “Give thanks for all circumstances.” If it did, then people would be required to thank God for starving when famine hits their land, or they should thank God that they are walking around one-handed because their other hand was chopped off by a conflicting religious group. If it said “for” then we would have to thank God that our child was kidnapped or raped. But it doesn’t. It says “in.” That one word changes a mask of thankfulness into a thankfulness rooted in deep-faith.

We may not always feel like giving thanks for a particular circumstance that we are going through. But, by acknowledging that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator, savior, and friend, we can still thank him for who he is, for the love he has, for how he holds us tight and steadfast even in a rocking world. We can thank him that we can be a witness in the difficult situation, and we can thank him for bringing us closer to him. We can be thankful throughout any circumstance even if we are not thankful for that circumstance.

This Thanksgiving take time to thank God for all the wonderful blessings he has given you. We SHOULD acknowledge those gifts from God. Then think through the difficult circumstances you have faced or are facing. Are you thankful in those circumstances, or are you angry at God for them? If you realize that you are not thankful in the circumstance, pray and ask God to help you base your thankfulness on deeper issues than the circumstance themselves. Then you will be thankful in all circumstances.