“Give thanks in all circumstances.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Most of us are, at this moment, preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving. And if you are, you know firsthand that it is no Norman Rockwell painting. It is not soft-focus, or gentle.
It’s traffic. And last minute trips to the grocery store. It’s stress. It’s the anticipation of family fights. It is the temptations of addiction. It is the grief of an empty chair at the table.
So don’t try to make it perfect. Life is not perfect. What we celebrate on Thanksgiving is the God who insistently brings glimmers of beauty into our imperfect world. What we celebrate is the God who provides for us what we need to live, and to know joy, in spite of the hard things.
My prayer for you is a the perfect Thanksgiving torn from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. My prayer for you is that in the midst of the chaos, there come moments of beauty, glimpses of grace, and a feeling of gratitude.
My prayer for you is that you give thanks to the real God of real life, who brings us each good things, and whose loving presence endures, no matter what.
