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Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

When you read this it will be the first week of November and we will have switched gears from Halloween to Thanksgiving. From paper plates and napkins to devotions and sermons, nearly everything this month will be focused on being thankful.

As a widow, gratitude does not always come easy. After all, what’s to be thankful for? Our husbands are gone and we are left to figure out how to go on living. Normal? We don’t even know what that is anymore. We battle loneliness and depression and struggle with our identity. What once was a thriving family unit is now torn apart over financial and relational issues. The manner in which the Lord called our husbands home raises so many questions; why him or why cancer or why suicide or why COVID?

I have dealt with all of these and yet today I can honestly say, “Yes, there is something to be thankful for!”

We have no shortage of reasons to be grateful to God. We simply need to choose to look for them.

In preparing for this article, I did a word search for ‘thankful’ in my journal. The numerous entries that told of my thankfulness truly surprised me. In addition to my job, which got me out of bed every day, I was thankful for friends who stood by me during my husband’s illness and following his death; for prayers lifted on our behalf because I knew that was what held us all together; for the many ways in which God provided for us monetarily, physically, spiritually; and for my dog, Gus, which has been a great therapy dog for us for many years.

After my husband passed away, I struggled with the feeling that I had been robbed of so many years with him. God spoke to my heart in various ways and He taught me to be grateful for the years I had with my husband instead of angry about the years I didn’t.

It was my choice!

It is impossible to be angry and resentful and be grateful and thankful at the same time. (Dr. David Jeremiah)

One year I started a Gratitude Jar. Each day I wrote on a small slip of paper something or someone I was thankful for and placed it in the jar. It forced me to intentionally look for something to be grateful for each day. On New Year’s Day, I pulled them out and read through each one of them. It was such an awesome way to look back and see God’s faithfulness and provision throughout the previous year.

Maybe you are struggling with finding reasons to be thankful. In spite of our circumstances, as Christians, we need only look to God’s nature and character to give thanks. Faithful, good, gracious, merciful, forgiving, loving, and compassionate are all characteristics of God we can be thankful for.

We can be grateful for the reality of the resurrection!

As Jesus approached the mourning crowds at the tomb of Lazarus, the all-knowing God felt the sorrows of Mary, Martha, and their family and He wept! But as he approached the tomb, he looked to heaven and gave thanks to God for the reality of the resurrection and answered prayer (John 11:38-44 ESV).

Even by the graveside of our loved ones we can be grateful. Without the reality of the resurrection, I could never have endured my husband’s death. And that is why we don’t grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NIV).

One of my friends said it best in a Facebook post following the funeral of a young child in their congregation—

Today I am most thankful that we have a risen Savior who has conquered our greatest enemies—sin and death. Death is not the end, and it does not win! (1 Cor. 15:54b-57 ESV). So, we give thanks even as we grieve the enemy and intruder that is death here in this life.

I encourage you to make the choice to be thankful amidst your sorrow. Create your own Gratitude Jar or Journal and allow the peace of God to guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV).

Gracious heavenly Father, create in us a thankful heart. Give us eyes to see the blessings around us and honor You with our praise! May the reality of the resurrection always be our hope and our foundation of thanksgiving!