There’s a verse in the New Testament that says to give thanks in all things. Sometimes I struggle with this verse. When hardships happen, the last thing on my mind is thankfulness.

            When the hits come, yielding to defeat is a natural response for me. This is especially true when I have been working so hard and the bad things simply don’t stop. Sometimes I feel like I’m standing up to an invisible army that wants to see me fail and since they’re invisible, I don’t even know who I’m fighting. Other times, like when sickness hits the whole family and then hits again, I chalk it up to poor timing or par for the course. But after a while, when the hard stuff seems to come like the morning dew, it’s easy to lose heart.

            I had a conversation many years ago about thankfulness. This person noted that the scriptures tell us to be thankful IN all things, not necessarily FOR all things. As I reflect on the hard seasons of this past year, I don’t have to be thankful for them, I just need to maintain an attitude of gratefulness through them. We aren’t staying stuck in that moment; time continues to move ahead. Eventually that particular level of hard will vanish and we’ll be on to the next one.

            So, during this season of thankfulness, I’m working on a different perspective toward hardship. I may not ever find anything that is thanks-worthy in those moments, but I can maintain a heart of thankfulness to the God who will always carry me through. The one who gives me air in my lungs, love in my heart, and so many wonderful blessings, even amidst the hardships. The God who continues to make a way, even when it seems impossible at times. The one who fills me with joy and peace when it seems unexplainable. Let’s be thankful in the hardships. We don’t have to be thankful for them. But there is always a blessing that gets overshadowed by the hard. Let’s not be so focused on the mess in front of us that we miss the blessings surrounding us. Happy Thanksgiving.