What To Be Thankful For?

By Cindy Williams, RN

Coordinator, Health Ministries

What health tip should I share during this week of Thanksgiving? Exercise? Healthier holiday food? The dangers of overeating? What I personally am thankful for? Nothing has seemed quite right. Instead I feel impressed to share with you something that is on my heart. 

Do you remember the Bill Gaither song, "The Family of God"? Here are some of the lyrics:

I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God, 

I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood

Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod

For I’m part of the family,

The family of God

You will notice we say “brother and sister” ‘round here,

It’s because we’re a family and these are so near,

When one has a heartache, we all share the tears,

And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.

I am glad to be part of the family of God! I am much closer to some of my brothers and sisters in Christ than I will ever be with some of my relatives who do not know Christ. Many members of our family are hurting right now. The year 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. A previously unknown virus has wreaked havoc with our largely comfortable lives. Financial stress, isolation from family and friends, restrictions on activities, wearing masks, and dealing with physical illness and death have taken a toll on us. 

How should we, as the family of God, respond? What can we do? Jesus, our perfect example, commanded us to “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34, 35 (NLT). The famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 and 5 says: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” (NLT) A thought from The Desire of Ages page 20 comes to mind. “There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself.”

We respond to this crisis by loving each other, by living for others and not for ourselves. Each of us must prayerfully ask God to show us how we are living unto ourselves and what it looks like to love as He loves. Right now, it may mean wearing a mask to church and sitting distanced from other families so that others can feel safe coming to church. It may mean staying home from something you really want to do because you have the sniffles so that others attending won’t have to go into quarantine after you learn that you exposed them to COVID-19. It may mean keeping your child home from school because you are sick yourself and you don’t want to take the chance that his/her class or school has to close, and everyone go into quarantine. Maybe it means just listening and really hearing what others think and believe. It might mean taking a Thanksgiving dinner to someone who is alone this year – perhaps for the first time. Or volunteering at a food pantry. I don’t know how God is calling you to love His family. I do know that God will show me what He wants me to do as I ask and am prepared to act on His answer.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22,23 NLT

This article is part of a continuing series of health during these COVID times. For other articles, please see www.uccsda.org/healthministries.

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash.