Despite COVID, 7 Things We Can Always Be Thankful For

By Paul Steinbrueck is co-founder and CEO of OurChurch.Com

2020 has been the most disruptive year in decades.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused tens of millions of people worldwide to get sick, and led to the deaths of more than a million people. Beyond that, it’s disrupted everyone’s lives with business closings, school closings, church unable to meet in person, financial uncertainty, social distancing, and isolation.

Add to that police shootings, riots, a record number of hurricanes, wild fires, and an extremely divisive presidential election, and most people can’t wait to turn the calendar to 2021.

We who live in the United States are blessed that way back in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

As a result, every year we are “forced” to take a day to reflect and give thanks for our many blessings. Not just the years when the stock market is up, natural disasters are minimal, wars have ended, or infectious diseases have been thwarted.

We human beings are a fickle bunch.

We have a tendency to make our thanks, our appreciation, and even our love conditional. When our circumstances seem good, we overflow with thanksgiving. When our circumstances seem bad, we tend to gripe and complain.

But the fact of the matter is we who follow Jesus have much to be grateful for regardless of our circumstances.

When things are good, yes, let’s thank God for good health, good finances, good friends, and good experiences.

But when things are challenging, let’s thank and praise God for who He is and what He does.

To help with that, here are 7 Things We Can Always Be Thankful For

1. He loves us unconditionally (Romans 5:8)

2. He never leaves us or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6)

3. He is with us when we experience heart break (Psalm 34:18)

4. He has a plan and a purpose for us (Jeremiah 29:11)

5. He works all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28)

6. He uses the challenges we face to help us become more like Christ (Romans 5:3-4)

7. Jesus will return soon, and when He does, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He will make all things new. (Revelation 21:4-5)

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, my prayer is that it will be a day in which you take your eyes off your circumstances in this world and fix your eyes on our God who has overcome the world.

And may you never look back.

Paul Steinbrueck is co-founder and CEO of OurChurch.Com whose mission is to help Christian organizations live out their mission online. They do that through web design, web hosting, and SEO services. Paul lives with his wife and 3 teenage children in Safety Harbor, FL where he also serves as an elder with Journey Community Church and president of the Safety Harbor Soccer Club.

This article originally appeared on OurChurch.Com

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