Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

- John 20:27

Pain can make praying prayers of thanksgiving much more difficult.

For many of us the holidays will be difficult this year. You may have baggage from your past. You may have concern about your future. You may have someone who’s no longer around the table, whose absence creates an ache in your soul. Things just aren’t the way they’re supposed to be.

Our hope for thanksgiving this season is not for a perfect Norman Rockwell scene where everything is pain-free. Our hope – now as always – is grounded in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus doesn’t remove the pain. Even in his resurrected body, he bears the scars of his crucifixion. Yet he gives us something to be thankful for even in the midst of our pain: new life with a God who knows and loves us.

The hope we have in Jesus frees us to lament and grieve. We don’t have to downplay or whitewash our pain. But we also don’t have to allow our pain be the determining factor as to whether or not we will engage in the life-giving exercise of gratitude.

Try this prayer exercise today:

• Start your time of prayer by thanking Jesus for enduring great pain for you
• Spend a few minutes telling him about any pain in your life
• Ask him to help you make it though the pain you’re experiencing
• Thank him for his presence and for any blessings that stand out to you

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

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