Thanksgiving is less than a week away. This is a fun time where many think about the food, the family, and the fellowship. It’s also a time of stress when others think about what they can afford to cook, what family is missing, and how lonely they feel inside. For others, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect, as was the tradition of Thanksgiving, to think about what things you are truly thankful.

Speaking of traditions, are you ready to go around the table and say what you’re thankful for at this time in your life? Is being thankful something you think about often? Saying what I’m thankful for, especially out loud, just seems to feel awkward to me. I can tell people easily what worries me, but I tend to struggle with the thankfulness part.

My favorite Bible verses are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 mind in Christ Jesus.

Worry, as a recovering perfectionist, was always masked in trying to cover all my bases. It was just saying, “Hey, I’m going to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.” Instead, that worry would grow inside of me that I was going to fail and mess up. One night, in choir practice, as a struggling teen, a lady gave me a Bible verse sheet left over from her lesson she just finished with the kids. The verses were Philippians 4:6-7.

My love for Scripture applied-to-life grew that night. Every time I began to worry, I would quote “Do not be anxious, Susan, about anything…pray about everything” over and over and over in my head. It wasn’t until I began digging into this passage about 10 years later that I realized I had missed MOST of the verses.

“With thanksgiving.” “And the peace of God.”

When I come to God with my worries and I remember “with thanksgiving”, I now have a new perspective.

Now I will say, “God this circumstance I’m going through is really hard, but I know I have You with me. Thank You for your presence in my life.” You see, with thanksgiving, our hearts become a little less hardened. Our hearts are reminded of love in our lives. Our perspective changes.

Suddenly, there is a peace of God that comes and I can’t explain how, because the Bible even backs me up to say it’s “without understanding”. It just comes. The peace of God is suddenly guarding my heart AND my mind in Christ Jesus. The peace takes away my anxious thoughts because I not only came to God, but I remembered to be thankful.

Does this mean going around the table will be easy this year? No, it’s still totally awkward!

This season means living a daily life of remembering there is so much to be thankful for in these anxious and sometimes overwhelming days. It’s a call to bring all your cares and worries to God. It’s an invitation to have Christ Jesus guard your heart and mind.

I’m thankful for each one of you, my friends, and I pray for you often. May you feel God’s presence in your life every so gently and sweetly this week. Let’s remember to thank God for Who He is and not just what He does for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

© 2018 Susan M. Sims

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