Thanksgiving in the Trials

Thanksgiving season is upon us again.  Care-giving can be difficult and all consuming, dear caregiver, but the Lord is with you each step of the way.  For what are you thankful this Thanksgiving?  For what are you thankful each and every day?

Thank the Lord each day and throughout the day for His peace and presence even in the midst of the turmoil of family care-giving.  He has promised us that He will never forsake us and that He will always be with us.  Thank Him for that, dear caregiver.  Also the best way to receive the wonderful gifts of His presence and peace is to thank the Lord God for these gifts.  This is because praise and thanksgiving puts us in a right relationship with the Lord which in turn opens up the way for His awesome riches to flow into us.

A thankful heart does not involve a denial of the reality of life’s many problems.  The path of a family caregiver is often laced with problems and heartaches.  Thankfulness, however, allows us all to rejoice in the Lord and concentrate on the Lord in the midst of the trials.  Thankfulness also takes some of the sting out of life’s trials.  When we give thanks in spite of our negative feelings we receive the Lord’s joy in spite of our circumstances.

Concentrate on your blessings still remaining in your life, dear Christian caregiver.  Remember how the Lord showed His love for you on the cross.  Remember that absolutely nothing can separate you from His love for you, dear caregiver.  As you go through the day open your eyes and look for God’s blessings and treasures for you.  Our minds can think of only thing at a time.  So when we are busy thinking about God’s blessings and thanking Him for them we are less wrapped up in our worries and heartaches. Also not only does a thankful attitude give us earthly blessings, but it also gives us a glimpse into heaven and eternity.  It allows us to experience wonderful foretastes of our eternal and ultimate home.

We do live in a fallen world.  It is said that we are either in a trial, about to enter one, or just recently were experiencing a trial.  Family care-giving often entails one of these times in life of deep trial.  As a former family caregiver I remember those days well.  A constant focus on the trials in our lives, however, will defeat us as Christians.  We can have joy in the midst of the trials.  We can give thanks in the midst of the sorrow.  This is way of the Lord and of personal peace.