We live in a time of tremendous anxiety. As we move toward the Thanksgiving season, we carry a sense of accumulated stress in our lives. The health and economic impact of the pandemic, racial tension, and the presidential election have all taken their toll. To make matters worse, many of us are living in some form of social isolation, which only adds to our angst. At first glance, anxiety and thanksgiving can seem like an odd match. However as Brene Brown writes, gratitude is one of the critical ways that we ward off anxiety. In fact, research tells us that people who regularly look for joy begin to reflect gratitude. These people focus more on the blessings in their lives than on their fears.
Recently I have been reading back through some of my journals from years ago. Though they are filled with times of great anxiety, they are also filled with many examples of God at work throughout those anxious times. As I read what I wrote, I become grateful for God’s faithfulness in my life. In retrospect, I see how time and again God worked through difficult circumstances.
The concept that gratitude helps remove our anxiety is not a new concept but something that the Apostle Paul described long ago. As a prisoner, Paul had much to fear both for himself and those that he loved. Earlier in the letter to the Philippians, Paul illustrated his situation by writing that he was “being poured out as a drink offering” and that he hoped to “have less anxiety.” While he knew the accumulated stress of living in fear and uncertainty, he also knew the joy and peace that comes from thanksgiving, remembering the faithfulness of God who is working in and through our circumstances.