Being Thankful for the Coronavirus
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
It’s amazing how what we focus on can change our mood. A bit of bad news can ruin our whole day. One compliment can change the way we look at a person. Stopping to give thanks can ground us. Regardless of how bad our situation is or isn’t, the Bible tells us to give thanks. Indeed, we’re to give thanks in everything. So how can we be thankful for this season? Why should we be thankful for it?
Following the Bible’s command to be thankful is more than us just leveraging the power of positive thinking. One might think that the Bible is instructing us to trick ourselves into delusion, ignoring the bad and pretending that everything is just fine. But that’s not the Christian way. We do not separate ourselves from the problems of the world because our God didn’t separate himself from the problems of the world. He became flesh and he entered the world, took our sins and our sorrows, and made them his very own. Through him we find redemption. He is reconciling all things to himself. He is in control, and nothing that is happening is random. It’s all for a purpose, for his glory and for the good of his children. Therefore, even in the worst of circumstances, there are things to be thankful for. We do well to look for them.
I have found that my default mode is to focus on the things that are going wrong and ignore the things that are going right. It is very natural for me to ignore all the blessings in my life, as if I don’t have time to think about them. There are problems in the world, right? If you are like me, then fight that impulse. Take time to be thankful. It’s time well spent. And when you find things to be thankful for, thank him for them. In the coming days I’ll share things that our current circumstances have prompted me to be thankful for. And when this is all over, may we all be more aware of the many blessings he so lavishly bestows upon us, all the time.