Being Thankful Through Tough Times

Being Thankful Through Tough Times

Philippians 4:6-7

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It was the day before Thanksgiving, and it was the first one that Andrea and her three children would be spending without their father, who had left them just three months earlier. On top of that, the two oldest children had the flu.

Outside was one of those cool, gray days with a light rain, and Andrea was growing wearier by the moment. When she got low on fluids for her children, she went to her purse and all she found was $2.50, and this was to last the family for another week. Andrea was going through what we might call – A Though Time.

Right then the phone rang, and it was her former church asking her to come by because there was a gift for her and the children. Andrea figured she would quickly drop by the church on her way to the store. When she got to the church there was an envelope for here with two $20.00 gift certificates from a grocery store, and she began to cry.

She drove to the store where she was able to get exactly what the kids needed to get better. The bill was $14.00. She gave the clerk one of the $20.00 coupons. The clerk turned her back on Andrea and stayed that way for some time. Worried that something might be wrong, Andrea said, “The certificate is a real blessing. Our former church gave it to our family, knowing that I’m a single parent trying to make ends meet.”

The clerk turned around with tears streaming down her face and asked if Andrea had enough food for thanksgiving, to which Andrea replied that she didn’t. The clerk then told her to pick out a turkey and the fixings. Andrea began to cry and asked, “Are you sure?” and the clerk replied, “Yes, get whatever you want. And get some Gatorade for the kids.”

When Andrea returned the clerk told her, “Now I can tell you. This morning I prayed that I could help someone today, and you walked through my line.” She reached under the counter and not only paid for the groceries but gave Andrea the change. She then told Andrea, “I’m a Christian and here is my phone number and please call me if I can help you with anything.” She then took Andrea’s face in her hands and kissed her cheek and said, “God bless you honey.”

Andrea was overwhelmed by God’s love being shown to her through His people. Her children were scheduled to spend Thanksgiving with their father, but because of the flu they stayed home where they ate of God’s bounty that Thanksgiving.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, and the meal we celebrate it with, there is little if any thanks given to God. We’re so busy preparing, cooking, entertaining, watching football, and eating that the only thanks God might get will be before the meal, that is, if we remember.

It seems like we’re missing the whole point of the holiday, which is to give thanks to God for what He has given. And such thanks begins by recognizing that everything we have comes from God, and without God we’d have nothing. This was something God’s people realized long ago.

As King David was providing all that his son Solomon needed to build the Temple, in His prayer to the Lord he said that all wealth and honor come from God, and then he said, “O Lord our God, even these materials that we have gathered to build a Temple to honor Your holy name come from You! It all belongs to You.” (1 Chronicles 29:16 NLT)

It all starts with God; therefore, we need to thank God in everything.

In this season where we celebrate Thanksgiving, we need to realize that everyone goes through difficulties, and everyone has to endure tough times. But it’s not enough to just endure tough times, we must learn how to be thankful through them if we are ever going to receive God’s goodness. And this is at the heart of our message today.

On the Holmes Stress Scale that lists the 100 most stressful events, like the death of a loved one, divorce, or being fired; what they discovered is that the single most stressful time in a person’s life is between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

It’s during this time that we start worrying about our finances. We also worry about getting together with the relatives that we would never under any other circumstances see, even if we were paid to do so. This is no longer a season to be jolly, rather a season of getting uptight.

It’s also a tough time as some of our loved ones are no longer with us, and our emotions overwhelm us.