Guest Post by Megan Smith
A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving last year, I lost my sweet grandmother, my last grandparent. I was in the early stages of pregnancy, and I was so sad to think about how my grandmother would never get to meet my baby. I dreaded the holidays without her because I felt that it would be a time full of grief and sadness for my family. The firsts are always hard.
I opened my Bible in 1 Thessalonians on Thanksgiving morning, fully intending to read a typical Thanksgiving scripture. Instead, I was led to a verse that read, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” I was stopped in my tracks and filled with gratitude that morning. My perspective changed that day.
Many of us are in seasons of loss, grief, and sadness. But because of Jesus and his promises, we can rest in the comfort of Christ’s coming. During this season of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things but most thankful for the hope we have in Jesus. One thing that has given me hope lately is a line from a book that I read to my baby boy at night. “Because when God made you, all of heaven was beaming.” I like to think about Jesus, my Granny, and many other people I love in heaven watching over us. My prayer for you is that you can find hope when you least expect it and that you can look for reasons to be thankful, even when times are difficult.