Living a life of gratitude is not an easy task. We know we should count our blessings, but sometimes it’s just easier to count our problems. Especially in these times of the pandemic and political unrest. But counting our problems shrinks our soul and carries us further into the doldrums. I say this as our Thanksgiving plans were totally crushed because Lee was diagnosed with COVID Monday. But then I look back on that first Thanksgiving.

In the fall of 1620, the Mayflower set sail for Virginia with 102 passengers on board. On December 16, they landed in Massachusetts, far north of their intended destination, just as winter was setting in. This northern climate was much harsher than Virginia’s, and the settlers were unprepared for the cold season ahead. Winter brought bitter temperatures and rampant sickness. Shelter was rudimentary. Food was scarce. People lay dying.

That winter, all but three families dug graves in the hard New England soil to bury a husband, wife, or child. By the spring of 1621, half of the Pilgrims had died from disease and starvation. No one was untouched by tragedy.

And yet in the midst of these monumental losses, the Pilgrims chose to give thanks. They knew that Psalm 118:1 said, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” The Pilgrims chose to be grateful for what they had, rather than to focus on all they had lost. They had to look for blessings. Actively and deliberately. Their thanksgiving was not based on pleasant circumstances, but rather on the understanding that God was to be thanked in both prosperity and adversity. Their gratitude was not a “positive thinking” façade, but a deep and steadfast trust that God was guiding all their circumstances, even when life was difficult. Viewing their lives through a lens of gratitude changed their perspective. We must then ask ourselves, “What lens are we using?” “Where is our focus?”

When we view our lives with a lens of Thanksgiving, it’s easy to see how much we have to be thankful for. It is important to do what the words of the hymn “Count Your Blessings” tell us to do.

 

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

 

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

 

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

 

Thanksgiving may not be what I wanted it to be, but I will surely look through the lens of Thanksgiving tomorrow. We have so much to be thankful for.

When I count my blessings, I include each of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Tina