“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
My mother grew up in a small community in southwest Oklahoma. She shared with me several great stories of her time in this little farming town. It was easy to tell that, although her childhood was not filled with material things, it was a full life, surrounded by family and friends. My mom’s childhood was not always easy, but she saw much of it as a blessing.
One story that my mom often shared with me was about my grandmother’s determination to care for her family. After the untimely death of my grandfather, my grandmother would go to work to care for her children. My grandmother was left with five young children to care for and little resources to do so. My mom said that my grandmother planted a garden in every available spot around town. She worked her gardens and canned her harvest to feed her family.
My mom taught me an invaluable lesson about gratitude through stories like these. It would be easy to look back on difficult circumstances, such as the loss of a spouse and parent, and find little to be thankful for, but my mom always saw the blessings in these hard times. She chose to be grateful for what they were able to accomplish in the face of sadness and adversity. This spirit of gratitude gave my mother a strength to face difficult times throughout her life.
As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, I think this story is a good reminder to us that we have so much to be thankful for. We must first decide how we view our current circumstances. We can focus on the tragic, unfortunate, and often uncontrollable moments of our lives. When we only focus on the negative circumstances of our past or our present, we can quickly become overwhelmed. What we must do is practice thanksgiving, even during tough times. Gratitude for what we have and the people in our lives gives us strength beyond ourselves. I am reminded, as I think back on the stories that my mom would share, that there is tremendous strength in gratitude.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
