Is My Son Thankful for COVID? Giving Thanks in All Things | 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 & Psalm 103:1-5

As a parent you want your kids to be thankful and show gratitude for all you do for them. I want my kids to be grateful too. However, I found out the other day that my son is thankful for COVID19. Really?

My wife came up with a tradition a few years ago. We get a decorative pumpkin before Thanksgiving and write all of the things we are thankful for onto the pumpkin. These pumpkins are a reminder of all that we have to be thankful for. My son put COVID19 on this year’s pumpkin.

Seeing this did make me think of several Bible verses. Can we be thankful for this pandemic that has killed so many people, made people sick, and has caused schools and businesses to close down? Am I thankful for it? Maybe my son is on to something. Hear me out.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, Paul writes about giving thanks in all circumstances. After reading this, I don’t think we should give thanks for COVID19 specifically, but we should give thanks in the circumstance. We can give thanks as we go through this trial with COVID19. We can still be grateful because God is still working and God has not given up. We may be sick of hearing about COVID19 and dealing with it, but God does not grow weary.

Psalm 103:1-5 is a good reminder about the goodness of God. As children of God, people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, we have the most important thing we will ever have. We have salvation through Jesus Christ. We have forgiveness of sins. We have been set free. Even when there are circumstances that are hard, ultimately we are children of God. Read Romans 6 to see how believers are set free in Christ.

It’s easy to focus on the negative things going on in our lives. When we focus on the positive things instead, the things God has done, we can change our whole outlook. Look for the good. How has God blessed us? What has God done for us? We can be grateful in the circumstance even when we are not thankful for the circumstance. We don’t have to be thankful for COVID19 the disease, but we can be thankful in this season.

In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always. Paul was in prison when he wrote this. He was encouraging believers to rejoice in their circumstances no matter what. Don’t let the circumstances you find yourself in make you forget the goodness of God.

Psalm 92:1 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.”

Are we better off when we give thanks to God even through the tough times?

What can you be thankful for in this season of COVID19?

“Helping you connect faith and life.”