Don’t Ration Your Gratitude!

My dad really saved things—old gas receipts from 1960, the bill for my sister’s birth in 1968 ($160), his yearbook from 1947, and a war ration booklet from 1942 that belonged to my grandfather.  Ration booklets held stamps that Americans had to shop with to purchase rationed items such as sugar, meats, and some canned goods, among other items. Without the proper stamp, the item was unavailable. This process ensured that most folks could get at least some of an item, such as sugar necessary for baking. Everyone could pull together and support our country in this small way.

As we are being asked to conserve during this pandemic we find ourselves limiting our interactions with family, changing our long planned vacations to a later date, facing the temptation to buy enough toilet paper to prank an entire section of town next Halloween with the left over, and in a moment of stress overload, we can even limit our gratitude. Bad times cause that. They challenge our spirit and our mind, and focusing on the negative is easy. God wants to help us in these trying times, and He always has the answer in His Word:

Rejoice always and delight in your faith;  be unceasing and persistent in prayer;  in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How can we help keep our attitude positive during this season? Perhaps putting a limit on our time spent listening to every news channel and evaluating every statistic and number graph that comes on the television or radio is a good choice.  It can be a breath of fresh air in this trying time to get to the end of a day and realize that you haven’t listened to new stories of the virus spread for the last eight hours! But most of all,  put your faith in God, pray for His help and protection, be thankful for His answer (it’s always right), and you will enjoy the peace that comes with following His will for you. This too shall pass!