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

The sight of a rose in a manicured garden needs no explanation, but a blooming rose in the middle of a desert certainly does. Even so, thankfulness, especially in the "wilderness" seasons of life, points others to a source of life and blessing that is truly “not of this world” (John 18:36a).

Being thankful means focusing on the good, the true, and the beautiful, and asking God to create in our hearts the necessary "soil" conditions for the flourishing of our souls in every season of life.

Being thankful does not mean you have to like everything that happens. Nor does being thankful mean you should not attempt to change the way things are. Rather being thankful means that followers of Jesus refuse to take any good thing--no matter how small--for granted.

Perhaps some of the most recent "storms", such as the various COVID-19 restrictions that have upset so much of our daily lives, may actually be transformed into prompts for us to reflect on the multitudes of blessings we forgot to receive with thankfulness in the first place.

So let’s set aside a moment today to thank God specifically for all the things we tend to take for granted. And by the grace of God, may our list of complaints be turned into a list of thanks!