Giving Thanks in 2020 — Moses Falco

There are so many things in life that are calling for our attention. There’s no end to the kinds of places (physical and virtual) where we can spend our time. It’s critical now more than ever to develop practices that help and enable us to focus on what’s most important. For Christians, we call such practices “spiritual disciplines.” Our Canadian culture at large also has regular events and rituals to remind us to stop and focus, Thanksgiving being one example.

Well, Thanksgiving 2020 has come and gone, and like most things this year, it didn’t go the way I hoped. A few months ago, I was still planning to be in Toronto with my family over the holiday, but all those plans changed because of COVID-19. Our family gatherings in Winnipeg were also cancelled, making this the first Thanksgiving without a community to celebrate.

It was harder this year to think about what I was thankful for. That’s embarrassing to admit because I know that my struggles pale in comparison to what others are dealing with. I look around our world and see so much fear, hurt, polarization, anger, violence, sickness, and loneliness. The internet is flooded with memes declaring 2020 as the worst year ever, and I know that it truly feels that way for many people.

So do we get a pass on giving thanks? Can we forgo the pleasantries and all just say that life kind of sucks right now?

The first thing to remember is that we’re not the first people to go through hard times. Sure, this is the first global pandemic for most of us, but we have centuries of human experience on which to reflect. Those experiences teach us that gratitude was always an important discipline for people of faith. The ancient Israelites filled their prayer and hymn book (the Psalms) with thanksgiving to God. Even Psalms of lament that speak of the wide spectrum of human loss still consider thanksgiving and praise to God to be of primary importance.

The practice of thanksgiving doesn’t simply belong to the one day in October where we gather with family and eat turkey. Gratitude belongs in our daily lives as a cultivated discipline that allows us to see the world in new ways. How does that work?

1) Thanksgiving Reframes Our Attitude
I don’t know if you’ve ever had the chance to visit developing countries, but I’m always amazed that the most grateful and generous people I’ve known are those who have the least. It’s those of us who have so much who feel entitled and ungrateful. Our discontent about what we have or don’t have can debilitate us. When gone unchecked, discontent turns to envy and lust which can sour our attitude towards ourselves, others, and God.

If you want to change your mindset about life and what you have, begin with gratitude. When we give thanks, we are reminded of the many blessings that we already experience. The more we give thanks for what we have, the less time we will have to complain about what we don’t have. When we name our thanksgiving in worship to God, we will notice our attitudes change which in turn will change our actions, making us more joyful and generous people.

2) Thanksgiving Reframes Our Story
When we go through hard times - maybe especially when we go through hard times - the practice of gratitude becomes a transformative gift that roots us in a larger story. Giving thanks reminds us of where our blessings come from. Too often we believe that we are independent agents who are in control of our destinies. Not only is that unbiblical, but that can be a dangerous belief when things in life go wrong.

“Giving thanks reminds us of our place in God’s story. In hard times, gratitude calls us back to remember who holds our lives.”

God is so much bigger than us. Too often we see God as a vending machine who needs to fit into our story. We pray and ask God to do things for us and wonder why God doesn’t answer prayer when nothing happens. But that’s not how God works. God is at the centre of the story, not us. Our job is to submit to God and follow God’s call. Giving thanks reminds us of our place in God’s story. In hard times, gratitude calls us back to remember who holds our lives.

3) Thanksgiving Reframes Our Loss
Let me be clear. I’m not saying that we should just give thanks and pretend like everything is okay when it’s not. That’s neither healthy nor biblical. God cares about our hearts and our experiences. God invites us to communicate honestly with Him, without holding anything back. There’s nothing you can say about where you’re at or what you think that would shock or offend God.

Yet at the same time, giving thanks in the midst of loss and hardship reminds us that God still walks with us through it all. It doesn’t take pain away, but it reframes it within the gift of God’s grace. That’s why so many of the Psalmists could share their loss and their gratitude within the same poem/song. Giving thanks in the midst of loss reminds us of who God is and the truth of God’s love for us and this world.

We need more practices than just the Thanksgiving holiday to stop, reflect, and give thanks to God. Praying before a meal is one way to focus our minds on the ways God has been with us and has blessed us. Sundays are also a consistent time when we worship together with our church community in thanks and praise to God. Perhaps you would like to try other practices, like creating a gratitude journal or going on a prayer walk to reflect on what you’re thankful for.

However you do it, I invite you to take some time to stop and reflect on the things you are thankful for. It can be hard to do that when things aren’t as they should be, but when we create disciplines of gratitude, it will guide us through the hard times when we just don’t feel like being thankful. As Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”