Tis the season to be thankful! Here we go again, that special time of year when we’re supposed to be grateful for everything we have in our lives. This is when we gather with some of our friends and family members, we haven’t seen in years and probably will never see again.  This is the time we pretend to laugh at Uncle Ned’s corny jokes, endure Aunt Edna’s latest surgery story, yell at each other over who should be in the White House and deal with little screaming brats we call our nephews and nieces. Oh and this is the time when mom brings out the cheesy Christmas records sung by famous dead guys and we still haven’t even finished Thanksgiving yet. Does it sound like I’m bitter? Maybe just a little because if you’re anything like me, I have more in my life to complain about right now than I do about being thankful. I know, I know what the Bible says but sometimes I don’t feel like “rejoicing always”, or being “thankful continually” or singing corny worship songs about “counting my blessings and naming them one by one”. To be honest, life just flat out sucks right now. So why should I be thankful? Why should I be grateful? What’s the point? Do you ever get this way? Listen, we can pretend or we can be real. Have you ever felt this way? Are you going through hardships in your life that it’s just difficult right now to be grateful? Maybe it’s a death in the family, a broken relationship, financial struggles, and you’re just barely getting by. Let’s face it, life is not easy, yet we sing hymns in church like this one, “Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” I’m sorry but that’s a bunch of crap. Everyday with Jesus is not always sweeter than the day before, in fact it’s hard and sometimes it’s painful and it hurts. So, what to do when you’re going through this holiday season faced with circumstances not worth being thankful for? The answer is simple. Be thankful that God doesn’t expect you to be thankful. But wait a minute, you might say doesn’t the Bible command us to be “thankful continually” and to “rejoice always”? Yes, it does. Well, then you might ask me what the darn hill are you smoking? But my answer is still the same. Be thankful that YOU don’t have to be thankful!!!! You see too many times we read the Bible and we see these commands and we think it’s for us to obey them. Actually, these commands are a reminder to us that we can’t obey them. In fact, it’s a reminder for us that we are a fallen people in dire need of a Savior. A Savior who can obey the commands, one who was without sin and one who can live inside us and empower us to live this life the way it was intended. Praise Jesus! That’s something to be thankful for. You see, the same passage about “rejoicing always” is found in Philippians. When Paul wrote it, he was in prison for not committing a crime but just sharing Jesus. He had every right to complain and be bitter but he had to learn contentment. It didn’t happen overnight and that’s good news for us who are still in the process of learning ourselves. Paul had to learn and what he learned was so valuable that he couldn’t keep it a secret. What is The secret? It’s not a book recommended by The Oprah Winfrey Book Club. No, thank God for that, this is so much better. “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me!”. That’s it! Thanks be to God, that even though my circumstances are not worth thanking God for, I can thank Him that it’s not up to me to be thankful. I can thank Him that He will transform my bitter heart to a thankful one. I can thank Him that He will give me the strength to be content no matter what. Feeling low this holiday? That’s okay, just thank Him you don’t have to be thankful and give Him your heart. Watch the great surgeon replace your bitterness with a heart of joy. You won’t be disappointed. So when Uncle Ned starts showing you scars from his glory days, and your bratty niece loses your cell phone again, just smile and tell yourself, “thank you God, I don’t have to be thankful!”. And that my friends is definitely something to be thankful for. Oh by the way, Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble!!!!

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.