Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It smells warm, feels warm. Tastes good, feels good. In our home Thanksgiving involves family, friends, and neighbors plus games, coffee, and too much food – and in my world that equals happiness!

But what I love most about Thanksgiving is the opportunity it affords us to pause, think for a moment about all that we have… And give thanks.

Let’s be honest though. This isn’t always easy…

Oh, sure, it’s easy to give thanks for the blessing of organic, delicious meat in our freezer and a skilled husband who had the privilege of shooting an elk this year…

Or for my three healthy, sweet, adorable children that bring so much purpose, joy, and laughter to my days…

It’s easy to give thanks for family and friends whose demonstrations of love, faith, and kindness make life more rich and beautiful than it would be alone.

I can’t help but give thanks for the privilege of living in Durango, where daily I see the glory of God unfold in brilliant colors, rugged textures, and WARM temperatures!!

And when I have the honor of serving women in childbirth and get to hold one of these precious miracles, how could I not be thankful?!…

Yes, it’s easy to give thanks for all of this… in these circumstances. But the well of gratitude must go deeper.

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Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

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ALL circumstances? Really, Paul? But, what about…?

Yip. We all have our “what abouts”. And these are the places where we must drill deeper into the well of gratitude before thankfulness can flow.

My story is no different than yours: there’s pain. To varying degrees we’ve all suffered emotionally, physically, or mentally. At one time or another we’ve all been hurt, abandoned, betrayed, neglected, misjudged, falsely accused, taken advantage of, mistreated, or perhaps abused. We’ve all known disappointment, even despair, and crushing loss. In these circumstances Paul’s exhortation to “give thanks in all circumstances” may seem too lofty a platitude …

…until we peer into the life of One whose suffering goes infinitely beyond ours…

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;…he was despised…” Isaiah 53:3

Jesus.

We’re most familiar with the physical sufferings of Jesus. But remember that He also knew the heartache of betrayal, the sting of rejection, the anguish of false accusation and condemnation. He grieved the loss of loved ones. He was angered by the hypocrisy of the religious. He lived amidst the injustice of an oppressive government. He is indeed the perfect model of what it means to give thanks in ALL circumstances.

So how did Jesus demonstrate thankfulness in suffering?

1. Jesus looked beyond Himself.

Jesus sat down to eat his last meal with His disciples, and He knew exactly what would go down that night. Everything He’d lived for – everything He’d taught, demonstrated, and revealed in perfect love – would come to a bloody conclusion by next day. And what did He do? He took the bread and the cup of the Passover meal and gave thanks.

But notice Jesus’s carefully chosen words, “This is my body given for you…this is the new covenant in my blood.” (1 Corinthians 11:24,25) He knew His suffering was for their benefit, our benefit. He was looking beyond. Beyond that night, beyond Himself, and beyond the suffering. Jesus gave thanks for what God was going to do because of His sacrifice.

When you and I face trials we can choose to do the same – and it is a choice. Not an easy one. But if we have the Holy Spirit then we can ask God for the strength to look beyond our personal suffering towards the good ends that God promises to accomplish through it (Romans 8:28,29).

2. Jesus submitted to the Father.

Later that night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

Maybe you’ve been in your own ‘garden of Gethsemane’ before – perhaps you’re in one now – begging God to let this cup pass from you. In those moments when the weight of suffering falls heavy, we pray. We ask others to pray. And it’s okay to ask, “Father, if it be possible, remove this cup of suffering.” But the bottom line of all our petitions is best modeled after Christ’s own words, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.” Trusting God means believing His ways are good even when our circumstances are not.

3. Jesus endured for joy.

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Jesus didn’t give thanks for the cross. Rather, He “despised its shame.” This verse says He endured the cross. So when Paul exhorts us to “give thanks in all circumstances” he’s not telling us to go around exclaiming, “I have cancer! God is SO good!”, or, “My unfaithful spouse is such a blessing to me!” We instinctively know this CAN’T be how God calls us to respond to suffering and others can sense when we’re being phony in such responses.

Sometimes the call is simply to endure, to forebear, to trust God and wait. It’s okay to despise the shame of abuse, addiction, injustice. It’s okay to mourn the miscarriage, regret the abortion, to hurt like hell over adultery. It’s okay to bury your heart in a bed of tears when life itself feels like it’s being ripped from your soul. Jesus isn’t asking us to give thanks for the lashes, the spit on our face, or the cross we’re being nailed to. But he does ask us to endure…

… for the joy set before us.

The crosses and graves of this life are temporary – but the rewards are eternal. Jesus walked on earth with eternity in view. By His Spirit we can do the same.

But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” Romans 8:18

Suffering is the soil in which faith grows; keeping eternity in view is the key to endurance. From that depth of faith God produces for you and I a well of gratitude that can flow with thanksgiving… in ALL circumstances.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I’d love to hear what you’re most thankful for this year, so leave a comment and do share!

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Niki Schemanski is a wife of nineteen years, homeschooling mother of three children, and part-time Doula. Her love of singing led to nation-wide travel and performance as a teenager. Later in life, that passion was joined with a love for Jesus and she became a worship pastor, a role she has served in both professionally and voluntarily for seventeen years. She and her family reside in Durango, Colorado. (Read More: About The Author)