In the Midst of Hardship

​Amidst all the preparations for the oh-so-special Thanksgiving meal, ​I had a few thoughts that I wanted to share with you.

For some people, the holidays can be very painful. The last few years have been particularly hard for me and my family, especially around the holiday season. Sometimes it seems like I’m faking it. I smile, I laugh, I eat turkey and dressing and play games. How can I let myself enjoy it all when deep down there is so much pain?

I feel as if I’m waving away the pain, acting as though it never happened. But I have come to realize that enjoying the times I have been given does not mean mindless happiness or dismissing the heartache. When I celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m not acting as though the pain never happened. I can be thankful in spite of it, and I can have joy instead of happiness. 

A while ago, my mom showed me a video or article (I can’t remember where she found it) about the difference between happiness and joy. I remember it saying that happiness is always dependent on circumstances, while joy is about a hope for the future. ​Despite my pain or whatever it is going on in my life, God has taken care of me and he has given blessing after blessing, even if it hasn’t always felt that way. I can have hope because I know he will continue to take care of me, and I can celebrate that even through the suffering.

This Thanksgiving, I will be thankful in the midst of hardship. I will not dismiss my pain, but I will see the beauty that is still around me. There can be joy and celebration, for there is a much bigger and greater story that I can’t quite see, and that is something to be grateful for.

After writing this post, I found this quote by Tim Foreman. I feel like he says what my fumbling words weren’t able to.

I think hope is not simply looking around and saying that everything’s great – that’s just ridiculous. For hope to have substance, it has to acknowledge the pain. But hope is saying that’s not the final story. It’s not saying pain doesn’t exist, but it’s saying there’s not a period at the end of that sentence. It’s still being written.

Tim Foreman

I’d love to hear your opinions on this topic, or if you had any other thoughts about the holidays/Thanksgiving. On a more fun note, what’s your favorite Thanksgiving food? Mine is definitely dressing 😋

– Mattie Grace