Finding joy through gratitude this season

Well folks, we find ourselves in a beautiful place once again — a season dedicated to giving thanks. What an incredible gift it is to walk in thankfulness. So often there are days, or even brief moments, when we don't feel very thankful at all. Maybe we had to pay an unexpected bill, someone said something hurtful, or perhaps we're simply feeling bored or empty.

But I've found it to be true that choosing thankfulness is transformative. It becomes a gift in itself. You see, thankfulness is what happens when we choose to see our lives from heaven's perspective — when we recognize the breakthrough before it arrives, when we find purpose in hardships, when we discern the Father's hand in the midst of our stretching and shaping. Thankfulness and joy walk hand in hand; it's hard to have one without the other. It's fitting that just one week after we proclaim thankfulness, we begin singing, "Joy to the World."

I invite you today to make this connection in your own heart — to choose a posture of thankfulness that welcomes joy. The Book of Philippians says, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again — rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." (‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

As I write, I invite you to zoom out and recall all the wonderful things the Lord has done — all the blessings, all the deserts meant to build hunger for the King, all the trials designed to strengthen and sharpen you for the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I thank you, Lord, for my family, my friends, and for a life washed by your blood. I thank you for the difficulties that have drawn me closer to you. I thank you for the Body of Christ — imperfect as we are — because it gives us countless opportunities to love imperfect people. I thank you that I don't have everything figured out, and that your glory goes beyond human comprehension, and that's OK. I thank you, Lord, for the amazing community of Sandpoint and for the work you are doing in this region. I thank you for the generation before me, who poured out wisdom and the Spirit over mine, and for the generation rising after me, whom you have positioned for a great move of God.

And lastly, I'm thankful for you — the one reading these final lines — because the Lord has an incredible plan for your life if you're willing to reach out to him and receive it. He is calling you by name and has a purpose for you beyond your wildest imagination. I pray healing over any hurt you've experienced, and I pray that your heart is filled with thanksgiving today.

Rejoice. And again I say, rejoice.

Justin Gardner is pastor at River of Life Fellowship, 702 Church St., Sandpoint. The church can be reached at 208-255-7111.