Giving Thanks

I couldn’t have been very old, still in the early years of grade school, and all of us students had a very important assignment to do. We had to write a short theme on what we were thankful for. A simple enough assignment, it didn’t have to be long—just a few things written from a youngster’s heart. As you might imagine, many of the children wrote about things like being thankful for mom and dad, or maybe thankful for God or Jesus. Some were thankful for grandma or their home or their friends. Well, not this young man. Me—I was thankful for my Big Wheel. And let me tell you, that was a sincere statement. I had gotten it for my birthday in September and had virtually ridden it nonstop. I loved that toy! Man, I used to ride that thing up and down the driveway, get it going real fast, then slam on the plastic brake on the side, making it skid all across the driveway. I loved it, and I got a lot of miles out of that thing.

I have looked at getting Big Wheels for my kids, but somewhere along the way someone decided that brake on the side was too dangerous. That’s what it made it so fun!

On this day after Thanksgiving, I stand back and give thanks to God. The Lord is good, and I feel very blessed in my life. And truth be told, I am still thankful for that Big Wheel, but more than that what it represents—a very good and blessed childhood with two wonderful parents who dearly loved me and a family where I was accepted, encouraged, affirmed, and loved.

And I am thankful for my wife, for my children, but most of all my relationship with the Lord, and the blessings God has given me in this life. Just the other day, a fellow church planter from a new church in Portland Oregon, committed to street ministry and serving the homeless on the streets, called to chat and share. We talked how much a blessing it is to see God working in a person and the greatest gift to be used by the Lord to touch another person’s life. Amazing, and God has blessed me abundantly!

Thinking of my children, it was 8 years ago this day that God gave Jan and I our first son, Ben. I was at a conference in Houston when I got the call. Ben’s birth mother had given birth! So I rushed back home and Jan and I got up early in the morning to drive to San Antonio to see our first born son.

I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on Ben. The nurse lifted him up in the baby room for us to see—all red and crying with a good deal of dark hair on his head. Beautiful and amazing. Adoption is a gift from God. All along we felt the hand of God upon us. Happy Birthday, Ben!

Thanksgiving gives us a chance to look back and remember—whose we are and to whom we truly belong, and all the good and blessed things in our lives. Of course, we remember the tough times too, and the ways we are sometimes able to pull together and to feel God’s strength.

And yet, on this Thanksgiving I am also mindful that there are folks who may be experiencing loss or hardship during this time, and the thought of what they have lost dominates their spirit. My prayers are with you. In a very real way, I feel closer to you this day, as I too have received some alarming news.

Jan may have cancer.

She hadn’t been feeling very well, and finally went in to see the doctor. After some tests, we found out she has a mass near her ovaries and it might be cancer. Devastating news. Everything changes when you hear the “C” word. But it’s too early to know for sure. Jan will see an oncologist on Tuesday and we’ll go from there.

We’re scared, and of course full of worry and all of the “what ifs,” often thinking of the worst. “I’m worried for the boys,” she often says. Jan is a wonderful mother and her dominating thought is not for herself, but for the children she loves. I give thanks to God for my wife Jan, who I love so much.

And yet, just last week I preached on Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, telling us to give thanks in all circumstances and to pray without ceasing. In this time of uncertainty, I bet you can guess we’ve hardly stopped praying—for healing and comfort and strength. And we get specific. We want this tumor to be benign and easily taken care of. And baring that for the cancer to be contained and easily dealt with. Please pray for Jan and my family! But we are resolved to follow the path before us, one day at a time. Already we have been surrounded with love and support. It helps. It really helps. And it also helped me realize how many friends we have, how many care about us, and also how many lives we have touched through our ministry and life.

Giving thanks in all circumstances is a bit tougher, but still I know Paul is right, for the thanksgiving helps you to stay centered on God. The Lord will see us through this, no matter what.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Ron Trimmer is pastor of Hope United, a new church in Georgetown, Texas. Click here to visit Hope United’s website.