Thanksgiving Every Season

Thanksgiving has always held a special place in my heart. It’s a season marked by family, food, and a moment to pause in gratitude. But let me be honest—gratitude hasn’t always come easily for me. Some years, the table felt full, not just with turkey and casseroles but with joy and laughter. Other years, I sat in the same seat, surrounded by the same people, yet my heart felt hollow. How do we remain thankful when life doesn’t look like the Hallmark version of Thanksgiving?

A Table Set by God

When I think about Thanksgiving, my mind always drifts to Psalm 23:5:

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

This verse has carried me through seasons when gratitude felt more like a chore than an overflow of my heart. God doesn’t promise us a table free of challenges or pain—He promises a table in the presence of those things. Our cup overflows not because life is perfect, but because He is present.

If I’m honest, I’ve often mistaken gratitude as something reserved for when life is going well. When the bills are paid, relationships are smooth, and there’s peace in the world, I can thank God without hesitation. But when I’ve been in a storm—when loss, heartache, or anxiety threatened to consume me—gratitude felt forced, even fake.

Yet Scripture challenges us to be thankful in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Not for all circumstances—but inthem. There’s a profound difference.

The Year I Couldn’t Say Thank You

A few years ago, I faced a Thanksgiving unlike any other. It was a year marked by depression, a loss of purpose, and being consumed by questions about why God had me in that season at all. I remember trying to pray over my meal, and the words caught in my throat. What was there to be thankful for when my world felt shattered?

I wrestled with God in the quiet moments of that day, and I felt Him whisper something into my heart: “Gratitude isn’t about what’s on the table; it’s about who’s at the table with you.”

It dawned on me that while I had been focusing on the emptiness I felt, God was preparing a feast for my soul. He hadn’t left me alone in my grief. The same God who set the table for me in green pastures also sat with me in the valley of the shadow of death.

Gratitude as a Weapon

Gratitude is more than just a feeling—it’s a weapon. When life feels heavy, thanksgiving becomes an act of rebellion against despair. It’s saying, “God, I trust You even when I don’t understand.”

Take Paul and Silas in Acts 16. Beaten, imprisoned, and shackled, they did something remarkable—they prayed and sang hymns to God. Their thanksgiving didn’t erase their pain, but it invited God’s presence into their prison. It wasn’t long before the earth shook, and their chains fell off.

That’s the power of gratitude. It shifts our focus from what’s lacking to the One who is always enough.

Thanksgiving Beyond the Day

As I sit down at the table this year, I’m reminded that gratitude is more than a holiday tradition—it’s a daily posture of the heart. It’s thanking God for the sunrise, even if it’s hidden behind clouds. It’s being grateful for the people around us, even when relationships are messy. It’s recognizing that every good and perfect gift comes from Him, even when life feels far from perfect.

This Thanksgiving, I’m challenging myself—and you—to see beyond the turkey and the trimmings. Let’s look for the ways God is setting a table for us, even in the presence of our challenges. And let’s choose gratitude, not because life is easy, but because God is good.

So, what are you thankful for this year? Not just the obvious blessings but the unexpected ones, the hidden mercies, the lessons learned in the valleys? Take a moment, pause, and thank Him.

Because even when the chair at the table feels empty, the invitation to His table is always full.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”— Psalm 100:4