I can’t believe how quickly this semester has flown by. Do you feel that way? August and September seemed to drag on forever, and then all of a sudden, it’s mid-November and there’s only one week of school left before finals and Christmas break. It’s surreal.
Leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, my mind is set on clearing my desk at work, cooking and baking our favorite holiday foods, and sweet downtime with my loved ones. Not to mention some solid PJ time for a back-to-back movie day… maybe with some homemade chili simmering in the background. I’m really looking forward to it!
I hope you are, too.
I know not everyone’s situation works out for sweet family times during the holidays. For some, the next six or so weeks will be difficult to navigate with absent family members and solo seasons of life. My prayer for all of us today is that we will know and believe and breathe in the love of God so that His peace may rest on us in our troubled times, in Jesus’ name.
Let’s honor and celebrate those loved ones who have passed, raising a glass of sparkling cider in their memory and sharing their most meaningful stories. If tears come, we will let them come. They are healing for the soul.
For those of us who will spend this holiday alone, I pray we plan and strategize to do all our favorite things, even if we have to do them all by ourselves… because it’s our holiday, too, and we are worth the effort.
Seasons of loss and seasons of alone can also be seasons of unexpected JOY.
Thank-you Changes Everything
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
An attitude of gratitude is like having a superpower that turns the light on in every dark room and shifts all our gray days to pink. It’s the rose-colored glasses we’ve all heard about, but sometimes have a hard time locating. Thankfulness helps us find them.
It’s hard to sit here and say there is something to be thankful for in every situation, but there truly is. Sometimes we can only be thankful we made it through to the other side. Other times, we can only be thankful that God is with us, helping us. Even in the darkest part of our darkest night, God is still good – that’s a given – and we can be thankful for that.
What Are Our Givens?
In the world of math and science, “givens” are the essential starting points of truth that guide the reasoning and problem-solving process. For every problem, there are certain conditions, values, or assumptions that are accepted as true without requiring further proof. It’s the list of things we already know, foundational facts, from which a conclusion can be drawn.
Every prayer we pray begins with three basic “givens,” whether we realize them or not: God exists, He hears our prayers, and He is able, and willing, to help. If we didn’t believe these as truth, then why would we pray? Maybe we struggle with our belief in those areas… maybe we’re just taking a chance on God… but with each step of faith and every answered prayer, our doubt fades to the background and those three givens become essential starting points of truth in our lives.
Over the span of my time with God, my top three givens about Him have become 1) He loves me, 2) He is always, always, always with me… whether I feel Him there or not, and 3) He accomplishes everything that concerns me. These have become the pillars that uphold my faith.
They allow me to skip over hashing and rehashing the past, trying to determine where God might be in my current situation. I already know where He is… He’s right here. And I already know what He’s going to do… He’s going to take care of me. Since the truth of His constant presence and attention have already been proven as fact, I can start my questions and problems and prayers to Him from that point and move forward.
"Lord, I can't feel you with me right now, but I know You're here and I know You love me. I have no question about that. I know You already have a plan for my situation because You always take care of me... so I ask You for Your plan and I thank You for it ahead of time, in Jesus' name."
Kitchen Staples, Pots and Pans
When I’m putting together a grocery pick-up order for this week’s recipes, I might need to buy most of the ingredients, but I know I already have salt and pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika. I know there are two cartons of chicken broth in the cabinet, and a few red onions in the refrigerator. I don’t need to purchase those because I already have them.
I have a working stove, and pots and pans. I have an oven that heats well and will bake my food exactly as promised. I have gas and electricity flowing into the correct places to make all my gadgets work so I can get the job done.
I don’t have to worry about those things. They are givens.
In the same way, I have no need to question whether or not God is going to be there for me. I don’t have to wonder if He’s left me or if He’s finally given up on me. I can make the assumption as a foundational fact in all my prayerful problem-solving that… whether I “feel” it or not… He loves me, He is with me, and all of His promises are true.
That’s my jumping-off point.
The Good and Bad of Mountain Climbing
When we have a mountain of a problem to solve, if we put our Bible-based givens into place at the onset, we’ve already made it at least halfway to the solution in that one simple step of believing God. To be honest, many seemingly impossible situations will be automatically resolved when we decide to live by a solid list of givens about God’s character, His integrity, and the truth of His Word.
We won’t need to re-learn the basic tenets of our faith at the beginning of every hardship or uncertainty. Our givens about God will act as pillars and foundation stones that reinforce our faith daily. From these foundational facts flow the ability to live with that superhero level of gratitude… but it doesn’t come automatically. It takes time, practice, and determination…
On the other hand, if our expectations or preconceived notions about God are negative, then we will struggle to believe all the good the Bible says about Him. We will have a hard time getting to know His true character and accepting His loving friendship. Our basic givens will be questions instead of facts…
Does He love me?
Is He with me?
Will He take care of me?
Friend, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding YES! That’s His heart!
Only Believe
It’s the givens we allow to be put in place today that will determine our faith tomorrow. The Bible says, in Colossians 2:7, “Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.“
I struggled to believe my top three givens about God. I fought against them because of my fear and doubt. At that time of life, all my givens about God were the questions I mentioned earlier, and they made me miserable. It wasn’t until I put my fighting arms down and surrendered to His unconditional love that I finally began to believe.
We allow our lives to grow down into Christ, not just by spending time in His Word, but by writing it down, memorizing it, and choosing to believe it over every other voice. When we do this, we actively open the door to a stronger faith in God that is based on truth, and an overflowing thankfulness that makes no sense in light of our human circumstances. This is where the superpower of gratitude comes from.
It comes from knowing Him.
He loves me was the “given” that changed my life… the essential starting point of truth, accepted as fact without needing further proof. A foundational fact. I pray it’s yours, too.
Hugs, Love, and a Happy Thanksgiving from all of mine to all of yours.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.
Psalm 28:7
Broken & Sown 
So many truths. I love it and you!Kathryn Williams
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