What a year this has been! For me, 2020 has been raw, stretching and also incredibly sweet. Many people want to count this year as a loss, resigning themselves to all the bad that has happened without seeing any of the good. I’m not minimizing the pain—I haven’t seen my mom and dad in eleven months, and miss them terribly. We get to figure out remote schooling with my kids, and have felt the loss of time with friends and family this year. I have walked with many people this year who have suffered more greatly than us. They are stuck in an assisted care facility with no outside contact allowed, have lost loved ones to COVID, or have been laid off from their job.
But the call of my heart today as I write this is to come back to giving thanks, and recognizing the incredible goodness of God in the middle of difficult times. I find that throughout history there have been many examples of people who have kept looking for God’s hand through the pain, and have seen His faithfulness even in extreme suffering. There is something about refocusing on these things that helps lift us up out of the pit of despair, allowing us to see forward, over and past whatever circumstance looms large at the moment.
I find it interesting that next week is Thanksgiving for those of us in the United States, and yet I have heard people say they have nothing to be thankful for this year. So much of the circumstances of this year seem to be happening to us rather than determined by us, and I think we are probably struggling with a loss of a feeling of control in many areas of our lives.
I wonder, though, if that isn’t exactly what God has brought for this year. My word for this year was “follow” and I have thought many times how we end up following God’s path for us without having a clue where we are going. We simply trust Him to love us through the journey. There is a simplicity and sweetness to following in this way, although it requires us to give up the control we think we have. But in that giving up, we find a solid foundation of God’s faithfulness underneath.
When we acknowledge that everything in life is not necessarily good or bad, but we know that it came through God’s hand, and so we can settle into Him in the process. We can give thanks for the small things that come today, and look for the sweetness of the journey. Giving thanks can radically shift your perspective as you don’t dwell on the pain, but rather keep pushing past it for the gifts of God for the day.
I know you are weary. You have been fighting all year with viruses, isolation, discouragement, emotional starvation and uncertainty. But instead of letting those things be the determiners of this year, what if we pushed through to see the gifts God has brought all year long. He doesn’t abandon us, but provides enough for each day as it comes. He doesn’t get impatient, but walks along with us slowly as we take one step at a time. He isn’t scared of the situation of the world or our country, but continues to put us in the best place to know Him every day.
What an incredible gift today is, and this year is! The moments have gotten small, slow and simple. What can you see today in your life as God’s love for you? Let’s give thanks for it, and keep pushing into gratitude as it shifts our perspective and our outlook.
Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord! Here’s why—he’s better than anyone could ever imagine. Yes, he’s always loving and kind, and his faithful love never ends. So, go ahead—let everyone know it!
Tell the world how he broke through and delivered you from the power of darkness and has gathered us together from all over the world. He has set us free to be his very own! Psalm 107:1-3