November, the month to focus on how thankful we are for all that we have in our lives. I have seen, and on occasion used, 30 day lists to prompt our minds to think on our blessings. In a land of plenty we seek reminders to help give us focus. A person, a place, a memory—and all the wonderful things that bring us joy.
There is a sentiment that if I should count my blessings then obviously the more blessings I have then the more thankful I can be. How much greater my happiness if I was blessed with more. A larger home, more money in the bank, a new car, even that special someone; more blessings to fill a life. There’s not a person that doesn’t wish their life was better.
After being in a car accident this morning, my world was spun around; literally and figuratively. What if one was to go through a time such as Job? A man “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil,” (Job 1:1 NASB2020) who loses everything. Could you imagine? The blessing of your home wiped away by natural disaster. The blessing of financial security lost to bad investment. The blessing of your family members lost in a sudden accident. The blessing of your health marred by illness or cancer. Confronted with all that could you hold to Psalms 100 verse 4? “Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, and His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” (NASB2020) Many would say a resounding, “NO”. One would think that our level of thankfulness is in direct correlation to whether we have more or less.
Ten year ago, I knew many friends, family, and acquaintances who had lost so much. The Joplin tornado affected the lives of the community in devastating ways, and with the holidays coming, they needed people around them, like Job’s friends, to surround them. Although Job had lost everything, and felt such grief, his response was telling. “He said, ‘I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21 NLT) It is easier by far to be thankful in times of plenty, but can you hold a thankful heart when you are in the fires of hardship? Our heart are not filled by our haves or have nots, but by a spirit full of joy and peace. That’s the path that leads to thankfulness.
You can find that joy and peace knowing that the one thing that can never be taken from you is salvation in Jesus Christ. My prayer is that you not feel the sorrow of having everything you hold dear stripped from you, but if salvation would be all you have left, let it be enough to have a thankful heart.
“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT
Author Dellaca Ferraiz Reynolds 