Rachel Whisman

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and for some, it is a time of enjoyment, light-heartedness, and joy as they feast and celebrate with their family and friends. For others, this season can be mingled with difficulty. The leaves change, but the hardships of life might still be ever-present and fresh. Remembering to give thanks can be lost in both instances when it feels like there are no cares in the world, to when innocence has been stripped by suffering. Yet, there is no off-season to give thanks. God has our best interests in mind and has given us his word to know what to do, and he tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). 

How do we do this? There are many options, but a different way I have come to meditate on the good things that the Lord has provided is through the ABCs (how teacher-like of me). It gives me an easy way to stay focused. I start at the top with “A” and then work my way through, however far I have time for. Other ways it can be used are with a friend on a walk, while running, in a conversation over dinner, or taking a letter or two each day to journal out a prayer of praise. Here’s an example of what it might look like and some of the things that I have been thankful to the Lord for lately. 

Apples. Sweet tango apples in particular. Want a perfect blend of Honeycrisp and Fuji apples? Here you go. My friend introduced me to them a couple of years ago, and I haven’t turned back. Thankful for this sweet treat during the day. 

Books. God has created others to pen words down onto paper that have stirred my soul to love the Lord more (shout out to the Puritans). Some authors have taken me to faraway places with their broad imagination as they weave together a story with various themes, intriguing characters, unresolved conflict, and redemption throughout. 

Coffee. It’s just a bean, but crafting a morning brew with different coffee beans is a delight for me. God is creative in how a silly bean can have different flavors to be experienced from around the world. 

Drums. What would music be without them? The strike, the build-up, and the steady beat that holds it all together. There is pure talent from the dexterity that comes from a good drum break, chef’s kiss. 

The alphabet continues, and so can our thanks. It is fun to thank God about the little things in our lives that add joy, but it is also just as fun to change it up by meditating on God, who he is, and His attributes. The structure of the ABCs allows you to have something to anchor your thoughts while praising Him. Here are some.

Authority. God has all the power in the world. He has all authority, and He is lacking nothing. You are not lacking anything when it comes to taking care of me. You are everything that I need. 

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.” -Isaiah 59:1

Bold. You do not hesitate to show us who you are in your word, and you do not back down. 

“I am who I say I am. -Exodus 3:14

Committed. You are never going to back down. Your name is holy and worthy to be glorified and are committed to your will and agenda. Yet, you also are committed to us and saving us. 

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Deuteronomy 31:6

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” -Isaiah 43:1

Dad. He is my heavenly father. I am adopted into his family and his daughter.

“But you have received the Spirit of adoption, as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!” -Romans 8:15

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” -1 John 3:1

Thanksgiving will pass, and another season will draw upon us. The need to be thankful will continue, as will the need to encourage one another. The Christians life is marked by joys and sorrows. A narrow road that we would do well to heed to God’s command and, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:18). 

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places.”

-Habakkuk 3:18-19

“The joy of the Lord is his strength. When faith is in lively exercise and joy is springing up in his soul, he can brave every danger and boldly encounter every enemy that may oppose his way to glory.”

-Thomas Reade