As I am sitting down to write this article, Kristen is beside me feeding John and I am hoping that we can get a good night’s sleep. He is sleeping well for a newborn – we are sleeping in 3 to 4 hour chunks at night. I am reminded of something that God has been showing me during worship the last few weeks, and that is to be thankful for all that God has given me. I have been given a great family and we live in a community with people who care about us and have been so kind over these last few weeks – sharing meals, cards, visits, prayers, and many other things. We have been blessed.

What you may not know is that six years ago, Kristen and I were faced with the very real possibility that we would never have children. We went through two years of infertility treatment with no results. It was a hard time for both of us coming to terms with the fact that we might not have children. We were at that stage in life where it seemed like all of our friends were expecting or had young children and each birth announcement rubbed salt in an open wound. Obviously, God intervened and has given us the family we so desperately wanted, but it took years of medical treatment, heartbreak, tears, and prayer.

We all face times when we feel like there is no hope and we have nothing to be thankful for. We need to remember that God is always in control and even through the hard times we can find things to be thankful for, but we may have to work at it. The important thing is to know that we are not alone and God has a plan for all of us. The hard times are often the very things that prepare us best for the work he has called us to. In those times, we can be thankful that he is refining our character and shaping us more completely into his image and if we look, his blessings are still all around us – his salvation, fresh air to breathe, a caring faith community, and the knowledge that he has a plan to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). As we approach Thanksgiving, what do you have to be thankful for in spite of negative circumstances in your life?