When we think of Thanksgiving, we think of family gatherings and lots of food. We take the time to think about all the things we are thankful for. Many families gather around a table filled with turkey and all the fixings and express their gratefulness for the things they hold dear.
We are always thankful for the good things, the blessings. We express thankfulness for our family, our health, and any wealth that God may have provided for us in the past year. But, we never thank God for the trials, the many things that He has taught us, or the scars that have taken place during those low moments in our year.
When I was thinking about what to say today, I was going to make a list of all things we should be grateful for and try to remember to help others out this holiday season. That is a great message, but God slowly revealed a different side to the meaning of being thankful. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God’s word says, “ Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” The key word here is ALL. It’s easy to be thankful for ALL those amazing blessings, but it sure is hard to be thankful for ALL those learning experiences that leave those scars.
Have you ever been through something and you feel alone, and then out of nowhere you find out someone understands? I had that happen last month. A parent was going through something, and I shared that I had been through the same thing. Their eyes instantly filled with tears as they thanked me for sharing and reminding them that they are not alone. It may not be ideal to go through these trials in life, but the scars they leave can be reminders of where we have been, they can be lessons learned, joy in reminding us that we are no longer in that place, and we may even become thankful for the scars that God gave us so that we maybe can understand what others are going through or cause gratitude at what God saved us from.
My last story is a personal one for me. When my boys were little, we were busy doing “life”. Things were going well, my husband had a great job, my boys were healthy, I was thankful, but the company my husband worked for announced that right before Thanksgiving they would be laying off 300 people. My husband was one of those 300 people. Eventually the company closed down. I remember standing in my kitchen, shocked at what I was hearing. Right before the holidays, my husband lost his job and I remember just looking at my boys and trying not to panic. I remember thinking, “God’s got this. We will be ok. Hopefully it won’t be long and he will have something quickly take its place.” Well, when you have 300 people ALL looking for jobs at the same time, let’s just say the market doesn’t run in your favor! We spent 3 years in part-time jobs just trying to survive! The struggle was real. I remember at the end of the 3 years, I finally just broke down on my bathroom floor in tears. I felt frustrated, mentally exhausted, and that God had left us at times. Let’s say my faith had left me for a moment. My husband had put out so many resumes that I used to joke that we could make wallpaper out of the rejection letters! Then one day, the call came! A full-time job! I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I was. I still remember every moment of the day that he lost his job and the day he received a job. I can tell you where I was standing, what was said, the amount of joy we had when the call came. 3 years of scars, and in that moment, God reminded us that it will all be ok. I learned a lot from those scars. God constantly reminds me to trust Him through it all. He reminds me that I am not in control, and He reminds me to be thankful in any job that I hold and I hold this one dear to my heart. I am thankful for my scars, for it showed me how to rely on God in all circumstances.
So, when we think about all the amazing things that God has blessed us with this month, let’s take a moment to remember those things He saved us from and be thankful for those scars!
