Rick Warren wrote a seasonal article for Time magazine. This is the first Thanksgiving for his family since their son took his life earlier this year. I want to share part of his article with you this morning. It's a great word on giving thanks, whatever your circumstances today.
In a seasonal article he wrote for Time magazine, Rick Warren says: "Thanksgiving is a difficult holiday for many. How can you be thankful when your doctor says it's cancer? How can you feel grateful when the one you love just walked out of your life? Or when you've been fired…or your dream has collapsed…or an economic tsunami has wiped out all you've worked for?
"This year became the worst year of my life when my youngest son, who'd struggled since childhood with mental illness, took his own life. How am I supposed be thankful this Thanksgiving? When your heart's been ripped apart, you feel numb, not grateful.
"And yet the Bible tells us. 'Give thanks IN ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.'
"The key is the word in. God doesn't expect me to be thankful FOR all circumstances, but IN all circumstances. There's a huge difference. The first attitude is masochism. The second shows maturity. We're not supposed to be thankful for evil or sin, or the innocent suffering caused by these things. But even in heartache and grief and disappointment, there are still good things that I can be thankful for."
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pastor Rod
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