It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and my head is spinning in many directions. When will I take the girls to see their cousins, today? When will I tackle my offering for tomorrow…the sweet potato casserole? Will there be deviled eggs? Will my kids come unhinged or over-sugared?
As I ponder all this though, so many heavier thoughts come to call. Covid is wrecking so many holidays this year! Many won’t be able to travel. Others won’t see loved ones who live minutes away. Friends and acquaintances fight for their lives, or at the very least, decent health, wondering what their next appointments might bring. Still others have seen marriages crumble this year, recently buried a loved one, or wonder where their prodigal is and if they’re safe.
Suddenly, I’m seeking shelter for loved ones. I’m looking for glimpses of hope to give this hurting world. This hope, of course, is Jesus! God has been teaching me lessons this week about healing, perspective, thankfulness, peace, and rest. I need these gentle Holy Spirit nudgings so desperately. I know others must need them, too!
So, while today’s nuggets won’t help your hungry belly, maybe they can help your empty or confused hearts.
Today, I want to give you 20 nuggets of hope for your heart.
- We need to be intentional about the thoughts we think. Evaluate each one for truth. If it doesn’t line up with what God says about you, toss it aside! When we consistently entertain thoughts of guilt, failure, fear, anxiety, rejection, doubt, and low self-worth, we’ve lost sight of truth…and God’s best plans for us. Good and perfect gifts come from God, and if they aren’t good thoughts, God didn’t give them! Take away their power by turning from them.
- We need not be afraid, no matter what we see, because God is God! He is with us, to strengthen and uphold us (Isaiah 41:10).
- Defeating fear begins when we give thanks. They cannot exist together!
- Cast (throw forcefully) your cares on God. He can handle ALL of them, but they’re too heavy for us to carry!
- The Word of the Lord holds true. We can trust everything He does (Psalm 33:4).
- We can choose to be thankful for what and who we have, on purpose, as a habit!
- We may not be able to fix our circumstances, our loved ones, or ourselves, but we can fix (focus, or repair) our eyes on God!
- When our eyes are on God, our perspective changes. When we walk in His perspective, we can see (and walk in) His peace, power, wisdom, and love.
- We can re-frame our complaints to thankfulness! Difficult people give us chances to grow in grace. Difficult finances give us chances to depend on God. Bad-tasting medicine that helps us feel better is worth giving thanks for! Painful memories give opportunities to see God’s hand where we didn’t notice it at the time.
- When we choose to praise God, He rains down His glory and blessings.
- Don’t be intimidated by your storm if God is steering your ship!
- The more challenging the problem, the more power and authority God gives!
- When we ask God to make us thankful, He causes us to think of blessings.
- When we are unable to admit our need for God’s intervention, we can’t open our hands to receive it!
- When we come before Him in need, He causes us to rest! We do our part by coming to Him, and He does His part by giving us the rest we need.
- When we claim His peace, He gives us His rest. They go hand in hand. When we shift our focus back on God, we allow Him to lead us.
- We are created to be led by God’s Spirit. When we open our spirit to His, He can guide us on the path He created for us.
- God’s love never ends. His mercies never cease. They are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- When we go on an intentional treasure hunt for reasons to thank Him, we start to see them! We can look at God’s provision in the past, His character, our salvation, the blessings of answered (and sometimes, unanswered) prayers, His powerful presence and provision in our today, and His promises for tomorrow. Suddenly, thankfulness flows!
- In everything, give thanks. This is God’s will for your life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Friend, these are truly difficult times, but we serve the God who is bigger than anything we face! He promises to meet us where we are and to meet our needs (often even the ones we don’t know we have) beyond anything we can ask or imagine. If you are reading these words, you are being covered in prayer that God would meet your needs and that you would be willing to ask Him to do so. I pray that He would open your eyes to blessings you’ve been missing, right before your eyes. I pray that you would find reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving, no matter how dark your circumstances. May God bless each of you, today and always!
To help you walk in a spirit of Thanksgiving, consider reading some of these Psalms: 100, 108, 111, 149, and 150! Some portion (or all) of each of these bring Thanksgiving to our hearts!