This morning I listened to a pastor discuss his appreciation for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. as his home country doesn’t have a day set aside to give thanks for the blessings of God in our lives. While many will gather this weekend, for us this year, our kids will not be home until just before Christmas so Thanksgiving Day will be a bit different this time around.

Tonight I spoke with a young man about his plans for Thanksgiving and the conversation led to the idea that even at Thanksgiving, life can present a challenge or two with family interactions, but being grateful and learning to be content is part of our growth in the faith.

it reminds me of a familiar passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. “

Philippians 3:11-13

Three brief observations in Paul’s writing:

• “I have learned”. For most of us, learning is a process full of advances and failures. From his writing, it seems Paul was not always content in every circumstance, but over time he learned the secret to embrace the life he led in Christ.
• “I know”. Paul’s knowledge of “need” and “plenty” was not just an academic exercise. He didn’t just know about poverty and pain or prosperity, he experienced the ups and downs of life just like us and in most ways, his life was much more challenging.
• “I can”. Hungry or Satisfied. Wealthy or Poor. At the end of the day, Paul put his trust and hope in God not in his circumstances and the result for Paul was the ability to “do everything through him who gives me strength.”

At the beginning of this day, let us begin to learn and know and do all through the strength of Christ who is at work in us.