A Very Happy Unthanksgiving

"Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."
- Psalm 100:4b-5

So during Thanksgiving we always like to reflect on things that we're thankful for. We go through the list - family, friends, the roof over our heads etc. We list all the things that are going well in life, and we throw out God's name as the source of all those good things.

And indeed we should do this! I'm not belittling it. But I'd like to take a different approach to Thanksgiving this year. Before the list of blessings, I'd like to stop and think of all the things in life that don't make sense. All of the things that we are NOT thankful for: the person who just absolutely annoys, the burden that seems to heavy to bear or the plans that just didn't go as planned.

I'd like to take all the frustrations, all the things for which I am UNthankful for (yes I'm aware its not a word - but forgive me if I play with the theme a la Alice and Wonderland) and with all of these things in mind I would like to dare to recite the Psalm above. To bravely and faithfully recite it two or three times with all the trials and frustrations in mind. To meditate on it.

If you do this along with me, what you will find is that this Psalm is a Psalm of hope - just as much as it is a Psalm of thanksgiving. God in Christ pierces deep into the desperation of life, He cuts down even into the frustrations and complications and He says like thunder -

I AM THE LORD AND THERE IS NO OTHER

He makes known at the Cross of Christ and in His resurrection that He is faithful through all generations. His love for His creation endures forever. There - in the cross and in the resurrection (in the incarnation and ascension too for that matter) - He makes known to us that He is what He is and He is this forever; all generations. His love endures forever.

So that in even the darkest of situations, Psalm 100 is a Psalm of hope. It is a Psalm of trust. A beacon of light - bright and true. God is faithful.

In that, we can be thankful even in our UNthankfulness. We can be thankful when we are NOT thankful because our hope is in Christ - our hope is in the Lord ... and there is no other! In Christ, God reaches even into the muck and mire of our despair and says - Give thanks!

Sure we can list the things that are going well in life and be thankful but I daresay it may be too shallow a thanksgiving. There is a richness beyond all reason, a peace that surpasses all understanding - it takes place when we remember that God is faithful even in our lowliness. He exalts every valley and every mountain and hill He makes low. He makes the crooked straight and the rough places plain. Only when we recognize this is the good truly good. Only then, when we see things from this perspective, is thankfulness truly thankfulness.

He is faithful to all generations. He is our God. Our hope is in Him.

Give thanks!

"Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."
- Psalm 100:4b-5

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS

//Ex Profundis//