I can’t remember where I heard this, but it is some of the best advice I’ve ever been given. When life seems unbearably hard, and nothing is going your way, give thanks to God for what you have. Give thanks for the things that you never think about unless they’re missing or broken. Give thanks for the socks and shoes on your feet, the clothes that you’re wearing, the glasses that allow you to see.
Give thanks that you were able to eat lunch today and that you will be able to eat dinner tonight; give thanks that you don’t have to wonder IF you will eat, but only WHAT you will eat. Give thanks that you have electricity and running water. If you don’t have any of those things, give thanks for the air that you breathe; no one wants air more than a person who doesn’t have it.
This isn’t a way to negate the way we feel. This isn’t a way to say to ourselves, “At least I don’t have it as bad as the dude without shoes.” This is a way to give thanks for what we DO have. What’s more, it’s a way to slow down our minds, to stop catastrophizing and to begin to pick out close-at-hand, concrete details. When I give thanks for my shoes, I look down at my New Balance 515s and feel my foot inside the shoe; when I give thanks for my socks, I think about how I don’t like wearing shoes without socks, and then I’m doubly thankful that I have them. As I dwell on my socks, I give thanks that I had a clean pair in my drawer this morning, and that I have the ability to wash, dry, and fold the ones I’m wearing.
There’s a lot that’s wrong in the world, and it seems like there’s always some new terrible thing that’s about to destroy us. But there’s a lot that’s right in the world too. I can’t talk about the Good News of Christ’s love for us if I allow myself to be continually weighed down by the bad news of the world. Over and over again, we are told in Scripture not to be afraid. One of the surest ways I’ve found of dispelling fear is giving thanks.
The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector