12 results for tag: Thanksgiving
Grieving With A Grateful Heart
All of the pumpkin spice lattes in the world couldn't warm me that first November. It wasn't just the air that was cold, it was my heart. When my son went Home just two months earlier it was as if a part of me had died with him. And there I was, surrounded by family and what seemed like hundreds of platters of food, and fear instilled in me as we gathered around the table.
Before dinner, it was customary to say grace followed by each member of the family saying one thing they were thankful for. But this year—this year, I was struggling under the weight of my grief to find any reason to be thankful. I knew logically that there was plenty to be ...
The Road to Gratitude
It was late on a Friday evening in January. I was sitting in a chapel with dozens of high school students at a winter retreat, thankful for the dim lighting that hid the tears that were streaming down my face. Just a few hours earlier I had been told that my baby’s heart was no longer beating.
The worship team began playing, and soon the room was filled with the sound of voices lifted up in praise. I robotically formed the words of each song on my lips, but I was numb to what was taking place around me. Inside, I was crying out to the Lord, mourning the death of the child that I still carried within me.
The next morning we gathered together again ...
The Fount of Every Blessing
Robert Robinson was born in Suffolk, England on September 27, 1735. His father died when he was only eight years. As soon as he was old enough, his mother sent him to London to apprentice under a barber. While there, he fell in with a rough crowd and lived a life of trouble.
One day, his gang was planning on disrupting a gospel meeting of evangelist George Whitefield. But when he arrived, Robert was touched by Whitefield’s message so deeply that he could think of little else for weeks afterwards. Finally, on December 10, 1755, Robert gave his life to Christ.
He began traveling all throughout England in order to listen to some of the best preachers ...
Giving Thanks With An Aching Heart
Simeon was due in the middle of November, the day after his big sister’s birthday. It seemed so special to me that the two of them would be born so close together. I imagined with excitement how much fun it would be, albeit a bit overwhelming, to have back to back birthday celebrations right at the start of the holiday season. There would be so much to plan. So much to celebrate.
But Simeon wasn’t born in November as we had expected him to be. Instead, he was ushered into the arms of Jesus at just 14 weeks gestation.
Rather than preparing for our daughter’s birthday while cradling our sweet babe in my womb, or making final arrangeme...
Cultivating a Heart of Thanksgiving
In 1 Thess. 5:18, Paul urges the church to “give thanks in all things.” I’ve read this verse countless times. I know that in the hurtful things, the hard things, and the can’t-keep-it-together things, my response must be one of gratitude. But sometimes, the distance between my head and my heart seems endlessly long. How do I give thanks for something I am not thankful for?
Have you ever felt this way? How can you cultivate a heart of thanksgiving during illness, following the loss of a child, or through life's numerous trials and difficulties when it seems as though those painful circumstances require every ...
A Prayer of Hope and Encouragement For Thanksgiving
Father, if directed by my flesh alone, thanks might not pass from my lips easily today. My heart aches for the little ones who are missing from our family gathering. Their absence is felt deeply; their empty chairs taunt me. I am undone.
In my sorrow, I call out to You, “How long, O Lord? How shall I endure this terrible affliction? These empty arms are more than I can bear!” I bring You my tears, my brokenness, my longing. I know Your mercy will be enough. It always has been. You always have been.
My cries matter to You. Each new day greets me with fresh mercy. My heart, shattered by grief, is being made whole once again. If left ...
This Thanksgiving, Remember That God Sees You
Mama, I see you. I see your tears, your ache, your pain. More importantly, God sees you. You are not alone, even if you feel like it as the holidays are approaching. "It’s the most wonderful time of the year," right? But often, when we're in the thick of our grief, it's not. The coming days may be hard, but not impossible. Even in the thick of our grief, our God promises to be with us constantly and consistently—and He is close, very close, to you, Mama.
Let me share with you a few ideas of encouragement this Thanksgiving, and remind you, even if you don't believe it today, that you will get through this. You will, brave Mama, with ...
A Sacrifice of Praise
It was late on a Friday evening in January. I was sitting in a chapel with dozens of high school students at a winter retreat, thankful for the dim lighting that hid the tears that were streaming down my face. Just a few hours earlier I had been told that my baby’s heart was no longer beating.
The worship team began playing, and soon the room was filled with the sound of voices lifted up in praise. I robotically formed the words of each song on my lips, but I was numb to what was taking place around me. Inside, I was crying out to the Lord, mourning the death of the child that I still carried within me.
The next morning we gathered together again ...
When Your Thanksgiving Is without Thanksgiving
The book of Psalms bears a title that means, “praise.” Yet, Psalm 88 does not follow the typical pattern of concluding with or moving toward praise. This rare psalm is in a context, within the psalter, of many words of thanks and praise to God, seemingly indicating that refraining from a conclusion of praise is not a posture to maintain, no matter the circumstance (see also 1 Thess. 5:18). But in the Scriptures, we do have these words as a part of the song book of the Israelites. They would sing these words to the Lord from beginning to end, and they would conclude the song without turning to thanksgiving at that moment.
Perhaps ...
Years Later; Most Thankful for Jesus
At your home, perhaps turkey, stuffing, and football will be the same as ever—but not all is the same for you as it used to be. Family gatherings are missing your child—and perhaps, like me, they have been for some years now. Your Thanksgivings have gone through many changes.
I hope that you know the comfort of Christ’s gospel in your pain—that the good news of His sacrifice on the cross for sins means you can believe and have the assurance of heavenly glory that far surpasses this earth. How good and wonderful it is to reflect upon all Christ has done for His people—winning an eternal victory over sin and death, winning us as believers ...
