Be Thankful
“Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 1:18)
Throughout the Bible, we are exhorted to give thanks. And not only when things are going well, but also in every circumstance. And yet, there are times when our world seems to have fallen apart and there appears to be no way out of the darkness. When you feel as if you have lost half of yourself, you may think that it will never get better. You are not alone in feeling like this. There are many cries of despair in the Psalms. One example is “For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.” (Psalm 102:3 and 4)
However, one does not always have to feel thankful in order to give thanks. It can be an act of will. The Bible speaks of a “sacrifice” of thanksgiving (Psalm 107:22 and Hebrews 13:15). A friend recommended a little book called “Healing a Spouse’s grieving Heart – 100 practical Ideas after your husband or wife dies”. On page 83, the author says “Think of all you have to be thankful for. This is not to deny the hurt, for the hurt needs to take precedence right now. But it may help to consider the things that make your life worth living, too.” I found that being thankful helped me to see beyond the darkness to the light.
These are some of the things for which I could say “thank you”:
- that Tom asked me to marry him
- that I had the privilege of living with such an amazing person
- that we had two wonderful children
- that we had an enjoyable holiday shortly before Tom died
- that Tom provided me with a lovely home and garden
- that we have a ride-on mower to cope with all the grass
Even in that time of mourning, I could say thank you, too,
- for the many cards and letters of condolence
- for the friends that brought gifts of soup, fruit and offers of help
- for the friend who arranged the flowers for the coffin after the ordered ones didn’t arrive
- for the special friend who drove up from the south of England to be at the funeral
- for my close cousins from South Africa who were visiting a month after the funeral and who were with me when our lovely rescue dog, Benji, died
- for the life-long family friend in South Africa who offered to help sort out Tom’s assets in South Africa
- for the friends from South Africa who came to visit in September and for the dear friend from Canada who came in October
The hymn we used to sing when we were young reminds us that when life is tough, we should count our blessings:
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings, name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done”
A verse that is repeated in Psalm 42 and again in Psalm 43 is “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” Even if you do not believe in God, make a list of all the things that you are thankful for. Refer to it often and your heart will be lighter.
Every morning, while walking the dog around the garden, I pray this prayer of thanksgiving:
“Blessed are you, creator of all, to you be praise and glory for ever. As your dawn renews the face of the earth bringing light and life to all creation, may we rejoice in this day you have made; as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep, open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will, that the world may rejoice and give you praise. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God for ever.
Contemplation of nature can help to lift our spirits and give us new hope for the future. Look out for the rainbows!
Great post Marlene
Thank you, Jessica! And thanks to you and Ed for being here at a time when I really needed your support.