Thanksgiving Day is over. The guests have left, plates have been washed and returned to the cupboard, and the grocery list has reverted to its usual size.
Regardless of the history lesson that brings us to celebrate Thanksgiving once a year, the heart and soul of thankfulness are eternally bound to the Lord’s steadfast love.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1.
Most of us cannot get through the first hours of the day before a negative thought or situation encroaches on our hedge of peace. In truth, the hedge often gets trampled, leaving us exposed to our inconsistency in remaining thankful.
What a frustrating feeling it is to be determined to set our focus on being positive and thankful, only to realize that our determination alone is not enough to control the mind.
As Believers, we do our best to position our thoughts, purpose our focus, and prepare our voices for praise. And yet, all this can fall away in the receiving of one slight from another, one looming bill, or one painful memory.
What does this reveal but that we can only go so far, even in our best attempts. And yet, God put in us a craving for peace, joy, relationship, and blessing.
Many people spend a lifetime struggling with themselves and others in search of a sense of peace that can only be found through Christ.
We live in a world of wounded individuals, and we are one of them.
This humbling truth affords us another: “Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine,” Ephesians 3:20.
One of the greatest struggles of the mind lies in this: our power is limited, but our imagination is endless.
This truth alone can feel like a terrible burden as we often default to thinking upon unmet expectations of ourselves and others. Despite our best attempts, we are fallible.
Our imagination often weaves scenarios that cast fear in the starring role.
In fear, we risk enabling a self-fulfilling prophecy if we are not careful. May we not invite and set the table for unwanted guests to dine in our future.
To claim peace and a purpose today that can never be vanquished, we must boldly claim our position given to us by love and grace through the blood of Christ Jesus. This position requires more than the ability to produce results; it requires faith above all, even when the results are not what we imagined.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1.
Being thankful requires devotion and discipline, but it also involves something more: striving to live in God’s will in the wholeness of mind, heart, and spirit. In this triune, our thanksgiving and praise will increase as a natural overflow, allowing God’s will to lead more than our understanding.
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.