November 25, 2020
It’s the day before the Thanksgiving holiday in a year well to be frank with you, I’m not feeling very thanful.
How can I give thanks when almost 1.4 million people have died of coronavirus?
How can I give thanks when I can’t be with the people I love?
How can I give thanks when I have had to do my job differently for so long?
How can I give thanks when my kid is still remote learning?
It’s a weird time to be sure, and it’s okay if you aren’t feeling super festive and thankful, I’m not. It is okay to be sad or to grieve this year because we have all given up so much. Making sacrifices in our daily lives to show our love and care for our neighbors.
One of my favorite Bible verses which I am thankful to have on the wall in my office comes from Romans the 12th chapter, Paul says to the new church in Rome experiencing the struggles of new community getting along, facing persecution, and struggling to understand what it means to follow Jesus,
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
This has been my daily meditation verse through this pandemic time, because we still need to find the joy and to have hope that God is with us and this terrible time will end.
We need to be patient in this time where many feel afflicted, grieving routines, jobs, loved ones lost, and feeling afraid. Yes, patience is a virtue we all sorely need in this year and this season. It’s also something I struggle with, I hate waiting. I get frustrated easily. But what a gift my patience and grace might be to others who have had this year far worse than I have. God is always patient with us, so we should at least try and be patient with one another.
The last part of the verse, “be faithful in prayer” this is where this Thanksgiving thing and our pandemic world collide. I stink at being thankful for things I have on paper, social media, or phone calls or card. But daily prayer is a time where I truly allow myself to be thankful for the many gifts God has put in my life, even in this the worst year ever.
So maybe you don’t feel so thankful this year, that is okay but may you be, “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”
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