🌀 What can you learn from a hurricane?

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As I write, I’m preparing for a special trip with my wife to celebrate our anniversary in the mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville, where she was born and raised. We’ll visit her grandad, aunts, uncles, cousins, and walk around her beautiful little hometown of Black Mountain.

You've likely seen this area in the news following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact in late September. The death toll, still being tallied, numbers in the hundreds. Homes remain unlivable nearly two months later. Many businesses will never reopen, and hundreds of jobs are permanently lost.

My wife recently joined a mission trip there to help residents dig out from the devastation. The photos she sent made the awful news footage seem mild in comparison. I live on North Carolina's coast where hurricanes are common, but I've never witnessed destruction like what the mountain communities experienced from Helene.

Standing Strong in the Storm

Yet what struck my wife most wasn't the devastation, mud, or wreckage – it was the people’s remarkable spirit. Amid the destruction, she found them consistently thankful: thankful for those coming to help, thankful for neighbors helping neighbors, thankful to God for His presence and protection, thankful for hope in the future.

Instead of bitterness over what they’d lost, they focused gratitude on what remained. Through tragedy, they gained clarity about what truly matters.

What an example for us as we approach Thanksgiving.

These mountain communities were forced to lift their eyes from circumstances to focus on deeper truths. While hearts fixed on circumstances often get crushed, those anchored by a confident trust in Jesus find renewal and restoration, regardless of surrounding conditions.

The Apostle Paul captures this perfectly in his letter to the Thessalonians:

Building Strength Through Gratitude

Giving thanks in all circumstances isn't easy. How do we give thanks when our marriages fall apart? When job loss threatens our ability to provide? When depression darkens our days? When floods wash away homes and our possessions?

Here's what I've learned:

Cultivate Gratitude: Paul's charge to give thanks “in all circumstances” is qualified by “in Christ.” Through the Holy Spirit's guidance, we can cultivate grateful hearts regardless of external conditions. It's challenging, but possible when we yield control.

Shift Focus: Rather than fixating on circumstances, we can turn our attention to eternal truths. God provides escape from temptation, loves us completely, and prepares an eternal home beyond earth's troubles. (See Philippians 1:21, 4:8; Colossians 3:1-2)

Remember Purpose: Paul wrote joyfully from prison because his circumstances, though difficult, allowed him to share hope with people he'd never otherwise meet. Our purpose remains constant: to demonstrate Christ's love wherever we are.

Count His Blessings: List everything good about God, your present life, and your future hope. The Psalms show David praising God even while fleeing enemies:

Your Thanksgiving week action plan:

• READ the book of Philippians, the book of joy and thanksgiving during trouble

• WRITE a list of all of the blessings and good things in your life

• MEDITATE on the above list of all of the blessings and good things in your life

• WORSHIP as you listen to Goodness of God by Bethel Music

• ENJOY Thanksgiving week in a new and deeper way with your focus on the goodness of God, the good in your life, and the promise of eternal life in heaven!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Thanks for joining us for MTM 14, have a mega-blessed Thanksgiving and stay tuned for MTM 15 next Saturday morning.

If you found value in what we shared, please share More The Man with family and friends and help us build a community of exceptional men that includes YOU.

Questions? Send a note to Will.