A truly grateful heart does not just show up on Thanksgiving Day, but is a heart posture every day of the year that ushers in “life to the fullest” that Jesus came to give us. (John 10:10)

Are you facing something especially difficult or painful?  Are you worried or angry or hurt?  Do you fear what may come next?

Corrie ten Boom says, “Well, strange as it may seem, perhaps this is precisely the right time to give thanks.”

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – I Thessalonians 5:18

Corrie ten Boom writes of her sister thanking God for the fleas in their barracks at Ravensbruck concentration camp during the Holocaust.  Corrie could not understand why they should thank God for the horrible fleas.

Ravensbruck was a horrific, flea-ridden, death-dealing place.  Both girls were afraid, but Betsie came to Corrie one day with an idea that might help them.  She quoted a passage from 1 Thessalonians: “. . .give thanks in all circumstances.”

Corrie quickly replied that she could not give thanks for the fleas!

Betsy reminded her that she could give thanks that the two of them were together, as most families had been split apart.

Corrie replied that she could give thanks for that, but not the fleas.

Then Betsie noted that somehow the guards had not checked her luggage, and therefore her bible had not been confiscated.

Corrie agreed she could be thankful for that, but not for the fleas. She could not, she said, under any circumstance, give thanks for the pestilential fleas.

But eventually Corrie learned that the only reason she and her sister had not been assaulted by the guards was because their captors were so repulsed by the fleas that they would not enter the girls’ barracks.

Years later, Corrie ten Boom reflected that this is how she was taught to give thanks for all things—because you just never know what God is doing.

For most of us, it is unimaginable what Corrie and Betsie endured.   Many years ago when I first read this story in Corrie ten Boom’s autobiography, The Hiding Place, it felt like an indictment to my own heart.  Could I really give thanks in circumstances as terrifying and devastating as they experienced?

Today I’m thankful that God gives me an awareness of what I have been given and how He is present in my life in all circumstances.  Like all of God’s commands and instructions, He gives them to us for our benefit even though He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving just because of who He is.

Gratitude is a weapon against the enemy of our soul.

It comes from a state of humility which is in direct opposition to the character of satan and how he wants us to act and think.

Gratitude helps us focus on what we have rather than what we don’t have.  It replaces negative thoughts with positive thoughts.

Gratitude chases away the blues when times are difficult or disappointing by helping us see life from Heaven’s perspective.

Gratitude is an important weapon for those who suffer from true Depression to help keep them mentally and emotionally balanced.

Gratitude protects us from becoming hard-hearted when things go wrong and keeps us from sowing bitterness that blinds us to the good in our life.

Gratitude opens the windows of Heaven so that blessings can rain down on us.

We cultivate a thankful heart until thankfulness becomes as natural as breathing, and it’s affect is like planting a big sloppy child’s kiss on Papa God’s cheek.

This kind of gratitude is indeed a weapon that defeats the enemy of our soul.

If you are fighting battles and you’re feeling overwhelmed, follow Corrie and Betsie’s lead by thanking God right now in the middle of your mess or pain or fear, knowing that He works all things for your good.  What the enemy intends to harm you with, God will use for your good.  Step out in faith and give thanks, even if it feels too hard or too unfair.  Growing a heart of thanksgiving will transform your life.

Melody Beattie said,

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

I’m thankful for countless things, but most of all for God’s love, Jesus’ gift of salvation and Holy Spirit’s presence.  As we approach Christmas, I will be  celebrating with a thankful heart.  To me, Thanksgiving and  Christmas are inseparable.  Focusing on being thankful humbles my heart to make it ready to receive the miraculous gift of Christmas.

May the Lord bless you as you give thanks today to prepare your heart for His coming.