Parenting Points

Having a Thankful Heart

I love Thanksgiving because of the time I am able to spend with my family. Most of us enjoy the fellowship of being together and running our mouths in between bites of turkey and cranberry sauce. This year, however, will be different for me. This will be the first large family gathering since my cousin passed away earlier this year. It came as quite a shock, and we are all still processing life without Nicholas.

As I prepare my heart and mind by thinking of how much God has blessed me over the year, I get stuck when it comes to Nicholas. It is hard to be thankful in our moments of heartbreak and loss. God’s Word continues to encourage me to look to God and find my peace in Him. One verse I especially love is Philippians 4:4, which says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” Paul endured many trials, heartbreaks, and losses throughout his life, yet he was able to find peace in God. It is by relying on God in every circumstance that he is able to write the well-known verse, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13) This is how we are able to always rejoice and preach to our hearts and the hearts of our children every day that God is in control and that He loves us and helps us right where we are. We can trust God with all of our heartbreak and loss because He loved us enough to take care of our greatest need, which was salvation. If God has loved us enough to send Jesus to die on behalf of our sins, will God not also carry us through all of the losses and trials we endure in life?

As you prepare for Thanksgiving with your family, and as you think back over the past year, I pray and hope you can see God’s hand always on you, and find peace in every moment that God is with you. I encourage you to share your thankful memories with your children and encourage them to rejoice always in God and find comfort in His great love for us.
–Larkin Sumerlin, Chaplain