Giving Thanks—Even When It’s Hard
Posted on: February 25, 2016
At special times—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, a wedding, the birth of a child—giving thanks seems natural. Surrounded by family and friends, we recognize just how blessed we are.
And then there are the other times—the times when we feel worn down by a tough work week or a family situation or even world events, and gratitude seems out of reach and blessings hard to count.
In Psalm 50:14-15, 23*, we read these words:
“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and pay your vows to the Most High;
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
“He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me;
to him who orders his way aright
I will show the salvation of God!”
God knows we go through challenging times, and yet he still calls us to offer “a sacrifice of thanksgiving” and honour him because he promises to hold us up and carry us through it all when we call on him:
Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)
Even when we struggle and find it hard to be thankful, we are dear to him and he cares for us and longs for us to share with him what is in our hearts. Even when we feel broken and doubt our own abilities and worth, he never leaves us. He is always faithful, always merciful, always loving—and for that alone, he is always worthy of our praise and our thanks.
I pray that we would take time each day to give thanks for the blessings we’ve enjoyed, such as good health and the love of our family and friends, and the blessings of that day, no matter how small they might seem.
And blessed be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your name
~ From “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman
(*Scripture quotes taken from the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition.)
A Catholic Convert in Ottawa 