Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7
What do these verses really mean? I have a wooden plaque in my home that reminds me of these verses daily. The plaque says “in everything give thanks,” but it’s missing the rest of the story. Life has its hurts sometimes, and it’s just hard to give thanks in the midst of them. The scripture says by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and pray without ceasing. That’s how we can give thanks in the midst of our pain. The Pilgrims suffered great losses the first winter. 102 people were aboard the Mayflower, but only 54 survived that first winter, and 21 of them were children under the age of 14. The first course served on the second thanksgiving was five kernels of corn on plates. It was a visual reminder of the hardships experienced by the Pilgrims that first winter when their rations had been so depleted that every person was given only five kernels of corn daily to eat. They were remembering God’s faithfulness in the midst of pain and suffering. We use the five kernels of corn at our own Thanksgiving table to remind us of the hardship suffered by those celebrating that early Thanksgiving, and also to remind us of the blessings in our own lives for which we need to be thankful, even in the midst of our own hardships.
Prayer: Lord, help us to remember to give thanks for our blessings, even when we’re hurting.
~Toni and Jim Kelley
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