This week started with a Thanksgiving dinner at our church. It had been a tradition for some time to enjoy a potluck feast the Sunday before the actual holiday – that is until the pandemic. Three years of isolation, with concern for spreading the disease caused that practice to cease. The best part about an event like this is the fellowship. My church is comprised of caring, thoughtful people who share our faith. We sometimes meet for breakfast during the week if we can. This wonderful group has become a support group, a special collection of believers, friends, lifter-uppers and a family of sorts.

This week will be filled with family, friends and an assembly of those we love. There may be some differences within those groups, but for one day a year, we tend to set those issues aside and gather together to give thanks. Unfortunately, it has also become a time of discord for many. Those who have parted ways from the family – those who have changed their political views from yours – those who have drifted from the beliefs of their youth – those who have health or mental issues. So, in those cases, the thanksgiving part of the holiday might get lost in translation. When you think about all the people who have touched your life in the past year, you will probably come up with many. For example – it may be someone who did something against you. It could be a nurse or doctor who intervened in a specific illness. It could be the family member that is struggling with a financial crisis. It might be one you haven’t heard from in a long time. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to set those issues aside and concentrate on the positive affect these same people had on you during this time.

We give thanks for God’s bounty. We give thanks for His mercy, grace and love. We give thanks for His guidance. We give thanks for the positive things in our lives. Do we give thanks for the negatives that may have happened? Do we thank God for those who would hurt us? Do we thank God for our problems – financial, emotional, relational or physical? The things we hold dear are not hard to give thanks for. The others, not so much.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving Day, let’s try to remember how each of those negatives brought a positive result. Maybe it’s the lessons learned. It could be a complete change of opinion. It might even lead to a deeper relationship with the person that caused you harm. God uses all of our experiences to teach us – to grow our wisdom – to prepare us for the final banquet that waits for us in eternity.

Give thanks for your enemies, because God has a plan for both you and them!