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As I type this, a symphony of sound swirls around me. From my TV, I hear the struggle of two professional wrestlers clawing and scrapping for supremacy. Across the room, my dogs bark at people walking on the sidewalk. On my left, my son, home sick from school, plays Mario Kart on his Nintendo and laughs as he takes first place. He sniffles and coughs too, and those sounds join the symphony. All of this comes together as a song of thankfulness, causing me to take stock of how lucky and fortunate I am to be surrounded by such beautiful things that bring me joy and make my life a rich tapestry of goodness.

It’s so easy to believe we don’t have anything to be thankful for. We are living in an age of despondency and conflict, a culture of scarcity and division. It’s true that some have it harder than others. I am not discounting their pain or their life circumstances. Maybe you are one of those whose life has been marked by horrible struggle. I’m not ignoring that pain, but I do want to gently push back against its tyranny.

Pain and anguish like to believe they are the tyrants of our lives. We certainly give them space to act as such. I’m tired of giving negativity space to be a tyrant in my life. I don’t want to miss all the goodness that is around me because I won’t turn my own eyes away from the pain. I’m going to fix my gaze on the things in my life that bring me joy, life, and meaning.

We have a passage of Scripture that I go back to when I need a boost of love and to remember what really gives my life meaning: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul was onto something. For Christians, we will always have something fundamentally amazing to be thankful for. But if you’re not a Christian, there must be something deep that gives you meaning and direction, that shapes your life. No matter how bad my life may feel, I can return to the love of my God and offer thanks for the chance to be alive and to share love with friends and family.

This Thanksgiving, don’t focus on what you lack. Don’t focus on what you feel is wrong. Survey the whole of your life and find even those few things that make your life rich. Don’t let the hopelessness out there take away your beautiful life inside.

Chris Adams is the Rector at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Washington.