What Are You Grateful For In These Unsettling Times?

Friends,
What’s the one thing you’re grateful for in this past few weeks?

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We sometimes find ourselves in unsettling situations that cause us to cry, to grieve and to mourn for our misfortunes or disappointments. But at other times, when we find ourselves in the middle of an ugly situation, instead of allowing our emotions to get the best of us, let us find something good that we are grateful to God for this period. Let us find the silver lining in this cloud that will lift up our spirits and help us be thankful to God.

These past weeks may have brought nothing but trouble, filling the hearts of many with panic attacks that birthed disorderliness, fear that’s birthed uncertainty, and anxiety that has left many to worry about the future. Coronavirus has led to the deaths of many leaving families in grieving states. But what can we say in response to these things?

God is for us for certain, and this is why he has left us with so many things for which we can be grateful. To start with, we can all be grateful to God for the compulsory rest he has bestowed upon us during this unprecedented time; for at least for the first time in history, our once busy world has been so quiet that we can almost hear a pin drop. All the busyness that tires out people has stopped. Rest is finally here for the fragile, the weary and the tired souls, and it does not matter whether we planned it or not.

So, while we’re all seeking refuge and protection in obedience to the government’s instruction, while experts are seeking a solution to this coronavirus situation, let us be reminded of God’s goodness, especially on a day like this. A day when Christ rose triumphantly into Jerusalem (Luke 19:18-40) to bring the good news of our heavenly father, a day when we can all reminisce upon God’s unfailing love to us all. A day that marks the beginning of a new dawn.

“Gratitude is an attitude that makes life better for ourselves and for others” Professor Robert Emmons

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In the words of Professor Robert Emmons, known as the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, “It’s an attitude that makes life better for ourselves and for others”. And in the words of Meghan Matt it is good to cast our minds on “what has been the good, the bad, the ugly; the inspiring and not-so-glamorous moments in our lives” – or in the past few weeks as this is relevant to us in this season.

Will you think about God’s goodness over your family and thank him for his faithfulness today? Will you join me in documenting what you are grateful to God for in the past few weeks and for the next thirty days?

I’ll go first. I am grateful to God for life. What about you? What are you grateful to God for? Let me know in the comment box below. I look forward to riding on this journey with you. Thank you.