Give thanks in all circumstances…
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Diana Butler Bass notes that it’s easy to misread this biblical injunction. It’s easy to miss that the call is to give thanks “in” all circumstances and not “for” all circumstances.
Butler Bass is the author of the book entitled Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks and writes a helpful article for those of us who perhaps are struggling a bit with our thanksgivings this year.
In her words from her newsletter The Cottage [i]
The verse says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” That little Greek word, “en,” means in, with, within, and throughout. It locates us, in the here and now. In the past, in the future. In happiness, in despair. In all things. In all times. In all situations.
We shouldn’t be grateful for COVID, for the political chaos, for the broken climate, for economic suffering. But we can be grateful through these times, while we are struggling in them.
I’m not grateful for COVID, but through these days I’ve been reminded of the fragile gift of life, treasuring what I had taken for granted. I’m not grateful for political corruption, but through it I’ve come to value democracy and activism more than ever before. I’m not grateful for destructive fires and storms, but through them the awesome power of nature still stuns, reminding us of our dependence on the earth. I’m not grateful for economic distress, but through it I’ve remembered how we can live more simply and with more generosity and fairness. All of this has made me understand the giftedness of life, work, and wonder — strengthening my love of God and neighbor, more deeply aware of the tenderness of life and the necessity for dignity and justice for all.
None of us should be thankful for this terrible year. But, if we stop and reflect, we see that we can be thankful through it. 2020 needn’t have the final word and steal from us the possibility of thanks and joy.
Gratefulness grounds our lives in the world and with others, always reminding us of the gifts and grace that accompany our way no matter how hard the journey. Gratitude is an emotion. Gratitude is a practice, a disposition, an awareness, a set of habits. But ultimately, gratitude is a place – perhaps the place – where we find our truest and best selves.
To know the mystery of life is to be grateful in all things. In.
In all things. With all things, through all things.
Sometimes the world turns on a preposition. To be grateful in these days is an act of resistance, of resilience, of renewal. We may not be able to gather around familiar tables. We may not meet with friends and family. We may not have the usual bounty of Thanksgiving. We may be worried about what lies ahead. We are NOT thankful for any of this. But the mystery of it all is that we can still be grateful as we make our way through it all.
May you find a way to be grateful in it all as you make your way through it all.
In Christ,
Pastor Jen
[i] The full text of her article is here: https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/the-year-of-no-thanks?r=45vbf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=twitter