Maybe you’ve done this in your celebration of Thanksgiving. In many church and family celebrations, we have gone around the room sharing the reasons we give thanks. Most often, we expressed our gratitude for what we have – friends and family, the blessings of living in this country, some degree of health, and good cooks and the good food they have made. Certainly, it is important to give thanks for the things we have and for the good circumstances we enjoy, but what about those seasons in life when we don’t have much or when what we have is taken or when things aren’t going as well as we would like? Can we give thanks in those moments?
It’s tough, but it’s possible, especially when we’re specifically thanking God rather than merely expressing gratitude. This was Paul’s testimony:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)
Paul’s contentment was found in God, regardless of his circumstances, so he praised God, regardless of his circumstances. While Paul had shortages in his everyday needs, he had no shortage in giving thanks.
This was due, in large part, to the church taking care of Paul while he was in need. He said so: “I rejoined greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had not opportunity to show it” (Philippians 4:10). And the church didn’t merely give him what he needed; he wrote, “It was good of you to share in my troubles” (Philippians 4:14). Certainly, Paul knew, as James wrote, that “every good and perfect gift” comes from God (James 1:17), but he also knew that God’s good gifts often come through God’s faithful people when they share in one another’s troubles.
This is the life of thanksgiving that the church lives in everyday circumstances. From the beginning, the early church shared in one another’s troubles. When individuals had shortages, their brothers and sisters stepped in and shared what they had. It tells us in Acts 2:44-47:
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
They met together. They ate together. They praised God together. Even when any individual didn’t have what they needed in any given moment, there was no shortage of thanks because God provided “every good and perfect gift” through their brothers and sisters in Christ.
So church, what are we thankful for? In a long season of struggles, emphasized by dwindling attendance, it might be tough to give thanks for what we have when it seems like we don’t have much. However, we’ve got more than we often recognize, don’t we? As we head into this season of Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for more than what we have; let’s give thanks for what we share, that there would be no shortage in thanks.
Thank you, Father, for new life in Jesus. Thank you for your love and grace and forgiveness that you demonstrated so clearly through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Thank you for your Word, that it reveals who you are and what you have done. Thank you for your family, the church, my brothers and sisters in Christ who love each other in practical ways. Amen.