Giving Thanks in Difficult Seasons

As the Thanksgiving season approaches, gratitude can feel complicated. Many clergy find themselves giving thanks while simultaneously carrying grief, fatigue, or uncertainty—both their own and their congregations’. It can feel disingenuous to proclaim joy when your soul feels weary.

But Scripture reminds us that gratitude is not denial. The psalmist often holds lament and thanksgiving in the same breath: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples… for great is your steadfast love” (Psalm 108:3–4). Gratitude in such moments is less about happiness and more about orientation—turning our gaze again toward God’s presence, even in hardship.

Cultivating Honest Gratitude

• Name the tension. Begin prayers of thanks by acknowledging what’s hard. Truth-telling makes space for authentic praise.

• Practice micro-gratitude. Notice one or two small mercies each day—a warm conversation, a moment of laughter, a sunrise.

• Share thanksgiving in community. Invite colleagues, friends, or family to name something they’re grateful for in the past week.

For clergy, gratitude can become a spiritual discipline that renews perspective. When we offer thanks not because life is easy but because God remains faithful, we teach our people a deeper way of seeing.

 Gratitude doesn’t erase sorrow—it transforms it. Even a whispered “thank you” can become a doorway to grace.