Suffering and Giving Thanks

 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

After taking the cup, he gave thanks…

And he took bread, gave thanks…

• Luke 22:14-19

Somehow Jesus found a way to give thanks in his current situation without denying the reality of suffering. He wasn’t covering it over or repressing his feelings or making light of it. Instead, he faces his suffering head on -, and then to make sure we don’t miss it, just after this passage about suffering he goes on to speak about the relational betrayal he’s about to experience - so his gratitude is bookended by the gritting reality of hardship.

This week as you seek to be grateful, what would it look like for you not to shield your eyes from the heartache and sadness and anger about the brokenness of our world? Can you give thanks anyway?

Ask God for the grace to face suffering with hope and even gratitude today - not as a form of denial, but as a form of true flourishing.