Feeling Thankful

I hope you all have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.  The thing is, it can be hard to feel thankful sometimes.  It’s hard to be thankful if you’ve lost a loved one recently.  It’s hard to find things to be thankful when you or someone you love has a serious health problem.  It’s hard to feel thankful when you’ve lost a job, or have financial problems, or are having problems in a relationship.  It’s hard to find things to be thankful for when you cannot do the things you used to be able to do, the things you want to do.  It’s hard to find things to be thankful for when you’re struggling to find a purpose for your life.

I cannot know what it’s like to feel what you feel.  But I have had times when I struggled to find a purpose for my life.  We all have times when we wonder whether, in the current terminology, our lives matter.  We all have times when we wonder whether our lives make any difference, whether very many people would care or even notice if we were no longer here.  And when we feel that way, again, it’s hard to be thankful.

But here’s what I know.  God has a purpose for every person who is on earth.  That is true, it has always been true, and it will always be true.  If you are reading this, you are on earth.  Therefore, you have a purpose.

And if you cannot figure out what your purpose is, here’s what I’d suggest to you.  Don’t worry about it.  Pray about it, talk to God about it, but don’t worry about it.  When we open our hearts and our souls to God, when we pray for God to guide us and to show us what to do, God will always do that.  It may not come as a voice from heaven, but if we keep our eyes open and pay attention, we will eventually see a way in which God is answering our prayers.  And then, we will see that our lives do have a purpose, even if it is not the purpose we expected.

And in the meantime, just live your life.  Do the things you do.  Pray for your family.  Pray for your friends.  Pray for our country and for the world.  Be pleasant to people.  Give people a smile.  Do something nice for someone.  Ask someone how things are going, and really listen to their response.  And if you pick up on something that makes you think things are not going very well for someone, ask a little further, and listen a little harder.  Be there when someone needs someone to talk to.  Be kind to someone for no reason.

If you do those things, you’ll eventually learn what God’s purpose is for your life.  In fact, you may find out that doing those things is God’s purpose for your life.  Because if we all did those things, the world would probably be a better place. 

And that would really be something to be thankful for.