I’m in Ukraine now. In case you weren’t aware, Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday that’s celebrated much outside of North America. I spent Thanksgiving day in the exact same way that I spend most Thursdays this semester, with the exception that I spent my morning with a friend learning how to bake pumpkin pie. The other missionaries here and I celebrated on Saturday. Our meal was somewhat non-traditional because the majority of our normal Thanksgiving dishes are difficult or impossible to find or make in Ukraine, but still we had a good time relaxing and spending time with friends.

Something I’ve been learning this season is that there is always something to be thankful for if you look. Our pastor read 1 Thess. 5:16-18 last week. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Sasha reminded us of this verse the very next day in our staff meeting. I had read the verse not long before in my personal quiet time. I don’t know about you, but when God brings the same verse up several times in a short span of time, I take it as a sign to shape up and start paying attention to what He’s trying to tell me. The fact that this was right before Thanksgiving just reinforced the idea. “In everything give thanks.” There is something to be thankful for in EVERY circumstance. With this in mind, I began to look for something to be thankful for in some of the situations that aren’t my favorite. Here’s a sampling of what I came up with.

Situation: I was away from my family on a major family holiday. Thankful for: good friends who are becoming like family. Technology that lets me communicate with my family quickly and easily. Creative friends who managed to come up with pumpkin pie, turkey, and stuffing to make the holiday seem more homey in a place where none of those things are common or easy to make.

Situation: I spent Thanksgiving afternoon “teaching” a dozen wild and misbehaving orphans who wouldn’t listen to me and carried off the majority of my pens and markers. Thankful for: a warm classroom (not something to be taken for granted there). The realization that there are so many who have bigger problems than I do. Two new helpers in my class, one of whom speaks Russian well.

Situation: my apartment STILL doesn’t have heat or hot water. Thankful for: running water in general. An electric heater that takes the chill out of the bedroom. Warmer than usual weather right now.

My point in all this is that God wasn’t demanding the impossible when He told us to give thanks in everything. In every situation there is something to be thankful for if we can only put away our complaining for a few minutes and look for it. I know, it’s not a new revelation to any of you, but it’s one that I’m apt to forget and needed to be reminded of this year. Maybe you’ve forgotten, too? I want to encourage you to look at those situations that are unpleasant to you and find something in it for which you are thankful. Our God is always faithful and always good.

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