Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a great time with family and friends and found at least one moment to thank God. We talk a lot about being grateful this time of year, but the truth is… gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. And honestly, that’s okay from the mind of this 12 year old.
People say things like, “Just be thankful!” as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. But sometimes it’s not. Saying “thank you” can mean stepping out of our comfort zone, noticing how others help us, or admitting we needed support when we were hurting. Some people grew up learning how to do that. Others didn’t. Some people feel shy, awkward, or embarrassed giving compliments. And some just don’t think about it because no one ever showed them how.
And sometimes people are going through pain we can’t even imagine, like my old second-grade teacher, Mrs. Harber, who lost both of her daughters in the floods on July 4th. When someone is carrying that kind of grief, gratitude doesn’t always come easily.
During the holidays, everyone says it’s a time to give thanks to God. That sounds simple, but actually doing it can feel really hard. It takes effort and sometimes even sacrifice. It can hurt when you do something kind for someone and they don’t show appreciation at all. I’ve felt that sting before, and I know many of you have too.
But even when it’s difficult, God asks us to give thanks, and not just in the good moments, but in the hard ones too. Honestly, that’s one of the hardest parts of being a Christian. We’re called to thank Him even when life doesn’t make sense. I still think sometimes about the girls who died in the flood, and I wonder if maybe God took them early to spare them from suffering in the future, from things we don’t even know about yet.
The night of the floods, I held my mom’s hand and told her that if I ever died young, she had to promise me she would thank God the very next day. She didn’t answer at first, but eventually she promised after crying a little more than she already was. Not because it would be easy, but because staying faithful matters even when everything hurts.
One of my favorite verses says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1) It reminds us that God is good all the time, even when life isn’t. His love is steady, even when our hearts aren’t.
I believe gratitude is also tied to empathy, the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. When we understand that some people struggle to express thanks, it becomes easier not to take it personally. Sometimes their silence isn’t about us at all. It’s about their own battles.
Jesus calls us to be patient, kind, thankful, and full of grace, even when that feels impossible. He asks us to love people who may not have learned how to love back yet.
So this holiday season, I pray that God helps us develop truly thankful hearts, even when it takes work. And I hope we can show grace to the people who are still learning how to express gratitude themselves. May we reflect Christ not just in our words, but in the way we live, love, and treat others.
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About Future Voices
Future Voices is a Sunday morning column in The Dallas Express where young Texans share how faith and perseverance shape their lives. These stories remind readers that God often speaks through the honesty and courage of the next generation.