Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good! Psalm 106:1
Be thankful in all circumstances.
I Thessalonians 5:13
I'm grateful that Thanksgiving Day gives me opportunity to reflect on the value of giving thanks –– something I am learning to do on a daily, sometimes moment by moment, basis. In fact, this has become a joyful discipline for me. I'm discovering that what is off, what is not right, what goes wrong, what hurts or makes me anxious or fearful is very loud, distracting, and focus snatching.
This loudness can manifest externally –– ranging from passive aggression to spouting off to outright flashes of anger –– or internally –– where I create insurmountable walls of self protection while wrestling through very loud questions of what is wrong with me or judgmental accusations on others –– and it can be loud circumstantially, emotionally, relationally, or any combination.
The discipline I'm learning is to remember that in any of these situations I can seek, find, and choose gratitude because God is good –– in every circumstance. His goodness is often quiet and hidden. But is is there and it is so good –– so powerful that it washes the negatives of life away. It is so vibrant and wrapped in holy appeal that it switches up what I focus on –– bringing calm, a sense of peace, and a confidence that recognizes who I am –– and Whose I am.
Practicing the discipline of thanksgiving in all circumstances shows me an instant pathway into the presence of God, and in His presence my perspective changes even if my circumstances don't. In His presence I remember who He made me to be so I don't live an altered version of myself –– which is what happens when I get distracted by the loudness of life's sadness, anxiety, hurt, fear, or insecurity. In His presence, sadness gives way to joy, anxiety loses its power, healing trumps hurt, perfect love casts out fear, and insecurities crumble under Heaven's declarations.
As negativity turns into gratitude, I have space to receive kindness, grace, peace, wisdom, joy, and love from God Himself! As I freely receive these gifts –– I am filled with so much abundance I automatically and freely give these life-impacting gifts away.
In thanks giving then, it seems I get more than I give –– because giving thanks releases the goodness of God –– and the goodness of God is infinite in generosity, and always available in every circumstance –– especially the loud ones.
A thankful heart is a happy heart. A happy heart is a one that delights in the goodness of God –– a heart that enjoys extraordinary shots of Heaven in the ordinary moments of common living –– bringing heaven to earth and touching my humanity with His divinity.
For these reasons, I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and give thanks.
~Jeanine Jackson
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