“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”  Psalm 100:4-5

Here we find ourselves at Thanksgiving Day; the end of 2020 right around the corner.  I’m sure that one thing we can all actually agree on is that we’ll be thankful when  this really odd and challenging year is over. And yet, I find myself not wanting to wish time away no matter how crazy, hard, divisive, and uncertain the past several months have been. I want each day to be seen as God-given opportunities to live a life of faithful abundance; to soak in the days, even the hard ones, and see the blessings that surround me. I especially want to slow down and consider the goodness and mercy of God as we celebrate one of my favorite holidays. I’ve always loved Thanksgiving; and this year more than ever I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to stop and ponder what I’m thankful for and why.  And you know what, I’m actually finding myself thankful for 2020!

For the month of November I challenged myself to dig for scripture verses about thankfulness and praise and write a devotion about them. I really focused on what gratitude looks like in the life of those who choose to praise God in difficult times and for trials, not just in good days, for good things. Praising God in the storm not just for the sunshine. This year more than at any other time we are really having to dig deep to be thankful as we find ourselves facing a virus that has been deadly to some, debilitating to others, and has changed the lives of everyone. Thankful as we’ve struggled with loneliness and isolation. Thankful as we deal with a fragile economy, the possible loss of jobs and loss of financial security for so many. Thankful in the midst of increasing tension, division, discord and ill-will towards our fellow countrymen. Thankful even as we confront the uncertainty of what the future looks like for our children and future generations.

The recurring truth that I’ve found as I studied these verses is the fact that thanksgiving isn’t a passive idea; it’s an attitude that requires action. It’s a  matter of our will, a deliberate choice. So many of the verses that I found said “I will”… “I WILL praise You, O Lord”, “I WILL praise Him”, “I WILL give You thanks”, “I WILL  praise the name of God”, “WE WILL  give You thanks forever; WE WILL show forth Your praise”. What I’ve found during this month of praising Him is that we get to choose whether we want to be thankful or not; and choosing gratitude only in the days that are filled with an abundance of good things is easy, requires little effort, and really doesn’t ask much of us.  

But choosing to be thankful when the days are dark, uncertain and difficult, that takes a lot of faith in God and eyes that see how He intends for all things to work out for our good and His glory. This is when thankfulness becomes more than just words that we say to our friends & family at the Thanksgiving table once a year; it becomes a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. God loves a thankful heart, especially a thankful heart that is hurting and struggling with difficult circumstances. A sacrifice is something that we have to put effort into, it’s something that costs us.

Praising God in the midst of a global pandemic requires intention on our part. So many things these past several months have worked to steal our joy and sap us of our gratitude. That’s what Satan wants, isn’t it? To keep us so focused on everything that we hate about this circumstance or are afraid of right now. Everything about this time that makes us angry and anxious.  Satan wants to keep us grumbling and complaining, he wants to steal our joy and sense of well being.  Covid has created more than just a virus that attacks our health, it’s brought a virus that attacks our hearts.

But unlike the many unknowns of Covid-19, we can know how to treat the virus of fear and bitterness that infects our lives. We can praise God in the middle of a health crisis, despite political and societal divides, in a world that seems to grow more and more unstable. We can choose to assert our will and praise God, give Him thanks, rejoice in Who He is, all that He has done and all that He will continue to do.  

So what have I found to be thankful for that I would probably have missed during a “normal” year?

• Unexpected time spent with my family at the beginning of the shutdowns when my kids were both home doing remote school. This meant that we enjoyed more opportunity for family dinners that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.  German Pancakes every Sunday morning as we watched church online together, games of crazy eights, late night talks with my girl, fun projects with my boy, loads of time at home with my husband.  
• This ranch and our way of life, which gives us plenty of sunshine, fresh air, exercise, projects and purposeful work that stems from common goals and dreams within our family.
• Calving this year, which meant not just the blessing of  new life, hard work, and a healthy 100% calf crop, it was a wonderful distraction from what was going on in the rest of the world.
• Technology! As much as I struggle with making it cooperate with me sometimes, I have been so grateful for technology this year!  Facetime with  my dad and brothers. Zoom meetings with old and new friends alike, praying together with my girlfriends, school/classroom meetings, connections made with writing friends, or having a virtual book club with old friends, I have been grateful for today’s technology in a way this year that I never have before.
• A somewhat return to normalcy during our summer months: time spent with friends and family, barbecues, weddings, camping, rodeos, fair time.  Man do I appreciate our normal activities!
• Time spent in prayer that has been some of the most powerful and heart wrenching cries to God that I have ever known.
• A return of my determination to honor God and serve others with my writing.  
• Old and new friends alike.  My friendships have been deepened in a way that only the shared experience of a global pandemic could accomplish. 
• My church family and the love, compassion, servitude, and wisdom that the leaders of our church have shown.  The deep connections and sense of family that I am blessed with in my home church, and within the Church Body as a whole.
• My faith and trust in God that has become a deeper and stronger because it has been refined in the fires of fear and uncertainty.  

For these and more I am praising God today. And even beyond today, after my thoughts are no longer hyper-focused on giving thanks, I hope that I will continue choosing to bring God a sacrifice of praise. What about you?  What have you found to be especially grateful for in this most uncommon and trying of years?  Can you look at your life with the lens of faith which results in a heart of gratitude?  Share with me in the comments or join me on Instagram or Facebook and let’s flood these spaces with blessings.