"Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
It's been over two and a half years since we were thrown into the maelstrom that was the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 was brutal in every way - physically, economically, spiritually, socially, and politically. And most of those same issues plagued us throughout 2021 - albeit in new variants. Now, in November 2022, we are tentatively post-pandemic, but we face economic instability thanks to inflation, rising interest rates, layoffs, and a possible broader recession. More, we face strong geopolitical headwinds with Russia's assault on Ukraine and China's continued movement toward autocracy. We, stateside, are still very much politically divided - albeit with a bit of a return to political normalcy with the results of the midterm elections. And, personally, our family is battling illness as we attempt to gather together for the Thanksgiving holiday and a milestone birthday for my dad.
But my faith tradition has an ancient practice of giving thanks to God no matter the circumstances - as a way for us to remember that God is a good God who is in control (Jeremiah 29:11) and who knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). The people of God are not unaccustomed to hard or uncertain times - whether it be Jewish enslavement in Egypt or exile in Babylon or wandering in the Wilderness for a generation, or early Christianity's persecution by the Roman Empire for its first 300 years as a fringe, counter-cultural, religious minority.
The Christian faith has long promoted the practice of thanksgiving, the practice of proclaiming God's sovereignty and goodness amidst any and all circumstances. We do this, as people of faith, because we know that God has shown He can lead His people out of Egypt by parting the sea, that He can keep His people safe inside a Babylonian furnace, that He can bring His people into the Promised Land, and that He can rapidly grow his family of faith amidst Roman imperial persecution.
There is power as we practice thanksgiving, especially during hard or uncertain circumstances. So, today, despite the continuation of hard and uncertain days here at Thanksgiving 2022, I give thanks. I give thanks for my wife and my boys. I give thanks for our extended family and our community of friends. I give thanks for my colleagues, my company, our country, our health, our schools, our political leaders, our imperfect but enduring political system, and our men and women in the military who keep us safe in the face of authoritarian aggression abroad.
Yes, these last two and a half years have been a lot. But my faith tradition teaches me that we have reason to be thankful on this Thanksgiving 2022 - despite the difficulty and uncertainty.
I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's admonition to the Romans: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited [...] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:12-16, 21 NIV)
So, today, I want to practice Paul's admonitions from Romans 12. I want to give thanks amidst our myriad circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
I hope you can too.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones. Take care today.
-KGC
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