OPINION:
My pastor made an important point this past Sunday: Gratitude fills the space otherwise consumed by angst. It is an encouraging and powerful idea.
Faith, freedom, family, and friends are things I have been particularly grateful for over the past few years. During the early days of COVID-19, many of our freedoms and access to our loved ones were limited. My appreciation for God’s grace and mercy, the freedoms endowed by our Creator, the bond with my family, and the connection to my friends all grew during that time.
God has blessed us in a multitude of ways. Unlike so many parts of the world, we are free to worship as we see fit. Sure, there are outrageous pressures from the secular world and double standards from many non-believers. Still, it pales in comparison to the threats faced by those in other countries around the globe.
As a sinful man, I am grateful God is all-powerful and yet offers us mercy and grace. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, my sins have been forgiven. For that, I am eternally grateful.
When we faced 100,000 protesters occupying our state Capitol, it was the prayers of countless numbers of people from around Wisconsin and across the nation that sustained us. I can vividly remember traveling the state during that time and feeling the power of prayer. A factory worker covered in dirt put his finger in my chest and said, “Governor, my family and I are praying for you.” The floor manager for a local morning television show knelt to put on my microphone and said, “My girls and I get on our knees every night to say our prayers, and we say a special one for you and your family.” I am grateful those prayers helped sustain me then and still do today.
While it seems to be under attack these days, God gave us the right to speak out. Despite the liberal bias from many government officials, bureaucrats, and even jurists, our right to free speech is still clearly laid out in the U.S. Constitution. And because our founders wisely created a republic, the protection of our God-given rights continues to be guaranteed by our governing document, despite a growing sentiment towards imposing restrictions on our free speech. Protection of this right is paramount, and I am grateful to live in a country that protects it, along with our other God-given rights.
Experts often say traumatic experiences either draw families together or tear them apart. Thankfully, it brought ours together. On the night of our recall election victory, I remember walking onto the stage and holding my wife, Tonette and our two sons, Matt and Alex, for what seemed like an eternity. After all the protests, riots, death threats, and a recall election, we had made it. That experience reminded us that we could deal with any obstacle thrown in our way with our faith and family. For that, I am grateful.
This Thanksgiving, we are joined by our son Alex and our new daughter-in-law Bailey. We are thrilled to have her in our family and love her parents, brother, and the rest of her relatives. Our son Matt will be there too, with his wonderful girlfriend Erica. We are blessed that my mother, Pat, is still with us. She just moved into a wonderful senior living facility that allows her to maintain her independence while still having people around to check in on her each day. My brother and his family are nearby, and we enjoy seeing them—particularly our two-year-old grandnephew Levi. I give thanks for a close-knit family.
Tonette and I are also blessed with an extended family of close friends. Some are from our time in school. Others are connected from when our children started school and continued long after they grew up and started families of their own. They are loyal and adventurous, smart and sympathetic. We love them all, and we’re grateful for their friendships.
Tonette and I are thrilled to be hosting our family for Thanksgiving again this year. In addition to an overabundance of food and plenty of Packers football, we will be reading a psalm for giving grateful praise—Psalm 100: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
We have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. May gratitude fill the space otherwise consumed by angst.
- Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.
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