Three Thanksgivings

November 23, 2015, by Kristin Neva

I try to practice gratitude. I have a long list of things for which I am thankful: Being married to my best friend. The health of our children. A handicap-accessible house. Long-term disability insurance. My parents next door to help us. A supportive church. Safe schools in a small community.

Even as I write this list, I realize the tenuous nature of everything on it. Last week, my kids came home from school and described the lock-down drills they had gone through. Something I didn’t have to do as a kid. Something school administrators didn’t worry about back then. The kids hide behind the teacher’s desk, lights turned out, window shades drawn. The teacher locks and barricades the door and they all sit in silence until the all-clear is given and they find out that yes, it was really a drill.

Life is uncertain, and while we should give thanks for the good in our lives, doing so highlights the flip-side of those blessings. During this season of life, my gratitude list is constantly shifting. Thanksgiving that Todd can walk turned into to gratitude that, after an almost two years, his wheelchair was finally approved by our insurance last week. Thank you, God!

Todd preached a message on Sunday that encouraged me. It wasn’t a message about Absolute Thanksgiving, when we have health, wealth, and prosperity. And it wasn’t even a message about Relative Thanksgiving when we can look at what we have left or compare our situations to how bad things could be. He preached about Obedient Thanksgiving, which is choosing to give thanks even in the midst of lament.

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