Pretty much everyone has something to complain about these days. Most people around the world have been affected in some way by the flailing economy. Some people are very sad this time of year because the holidays always remind them of some kind of traumatic event that happened during a previous holiday season. Others hurt because they don’t have a big family with which they can spend the holidays. I can relate on some level to each of those hurts.
Historically, I haven’t written Thanksgiving posts, but if there has ever been a good time to start, it’s probably now. It may seem counter-intuitive to be thankful during the roughest of times, but I don’t see it that way. The sermon I heard at church this past Sunday was an excellent example of why Christians can be thankful at all times.
Psalm 103:2-5 says this (NIV):
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Every now and then, it’s nice to get a little perspective on things, and those words helped me a lot.
What else am I thankful for this year? I’m always thankful for my family and friends, although I probably don’t spend enough time letting them know that. I’m thankful for good health (better than last year, according to my latest physical). I’m thankful that the election season is over. I’m thankful that, despite what we see on TV, there are people out there who can reasonably disagree about politics and still get along. Some of them are my friends, and I learn a lot from them. I’m thankful that I’ve been along for the ride during Phil Fulmer’s head coaching tenure at Tennessee and the most successful run in Atlanta Braves franchise history, even though both may have come to an end. There’s more I could list, but you get the idea.
Have a good holiday. If you feel like it, let me know what you’re thankful for.
jfwiii.net 
Hey John, great post.
One thing I realized a while back in regards to being thankful is that you can tell just how blessed we are when you look at the things we consider to be “problems”. Usually, they’re just an outgrowth of our blessings.
For example…
-I had to stay late at work yesterday, which was annoying. But that means that I have a job, when millions of people don’t.
-We had to clean house like crazy in preparation for family coming to stay with us this week. But that means that I have a place to live, and a family to celebrate holidays with, which is something that millions of people don’t have.
-Somewhat at the last minute, I found out that I had to do the devotional at church last night. Of course, that’s only possible because we live in a country where we’re free to worship as we choose.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. We certainly have much to be thankful for.
Luke,
You’re certainly right about “problems.” I think the same way about staying late at work, and then I realize how fortunate I am to have a good job.