When the Way to Our Greatest Thanksgiving is Through the Darkness
Written by Erin Richer
Dear friends,
This week we enter into a season set aside for gratitude. We give thanks for all God has provided and that, like the American pilgrims, we survived another year. (I’d say we just barely squeaked by on this one, wouldn’t you?) In a way, as Christians we are like pilgrims on a long journey and this year has been hard. This year, I want to tell you about a gift I was given on my pilgrim journey several years ago and offer resources I hope might help you along on yours.
Beyond my salvation, there is one gift God has given me for which I am most thankful, and it will surprise you. It was given through the life and stillbirth of my fourth daughter, Lydia Grace. To be clear, Lydia is not the greatest gift, rather, through her life, God gave me the greatest gift I have ever received apart from His Spirit dwelling in me. This gift has served me well and will continue to serve me well as long as my feet walk this broken earth.
Through her life, I discovered that all the things I believed to be true about God and His character and our ultimate hope in Christ crystalized and my faith became real. It became almost tangible—something I felt I could literally hold out before me and treasure.
1 Peter 1:6-9 says:
“…even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
I experienced the proven genuineness of my faith through Lydia, and it’s without a doubt more precious than gold, an incalculable gift. Faith is a gift from God. Proven faith comes through fire (suffering), which, paradoxically, is also a gift from God as it causes us to run to Him and discover how profoundly good and exceedingly faithful He truly is. Gold is perishable; proven faith is not. I’m so grateful because this proven faith has since carried me through other agonizing seasons, including all that 2020 has thrown at us.
This Thanksgiving I want to share this message: The darkest seasons and the hardest days are the times when God draws so very near to us. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). His presence is more precious than anything. There’s simply nothing on this earth that compares to the nearness of Jesus. And I must confess, there are times I long for hard seasons just to feel that intimate proximity.
So as we enter into this strange season of Thanksgiving and prepare our hearts for gratitude, there are two resources I want to offer:
The word thanksgiving changed forever for me in 2012 as I always now think of the word “eucharisteo” whenever I hear it, thanks to Ann Voskamp. That was the year I discovered that taking notice of God’s presence and gifts in the tiniest details, naming them and sharing them out loud, held unimaginable power. I read Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts a few months before I found out I was going to lose Lydia. Apart from the Bible, this book is the only one that I can honestly say changed my life. Her prose is different; I found it to be a blessing. Some can’t get past it’s odd cadence, but if you can, you’ll find gold here, I promise.
One Thousand Gifts
A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
by Ann Voskamp
The second resource is a brief telling of Lydia’s story which I recently recorded with Emma’s Footprints. It will air on their podcast show this Thanksgiving Day. As you now know, it’s not a story of loss, but a story of gain.
Confessions of a Grieving Mother Podcast
by Emma’s Footprints
I pray that you will find these resources helpful as we enter into a holiday of gratitude. Our gatherings may be smaller, but God’s gifts are not fewer. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2). My hope is that this Thanksgiving, even though it seems the world is shrouded in darkness, will be your sweetest holiday yet. May you see with new eyes your Savior so very near.
All my love,
Erin
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