Recently I woke up saying, "I have a good life. God is so good to me." I lay and recounted all the ways God has blessed me. I acknowledged some of the difficult things God has allowed to come my way, but affirmed how God has used those things to grow me. Unfortunately I sometimes do not wake up praising God. I wake up griping about how my body hurts and how people have let me down.
Have my circumstances changed? Not at all. The only things that have changed are my attitude and my viewpoint. God has a lot to say to me and probably to you as well about what we should be thinking.
I Thessalonians 5:18, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Ephesians 5:20 Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.
These verses are all from the pen of the Apostle Paul and when you think of what his circumstances were, they are pretty amazing. For example, the Philippians verses are written from the depths of a Roman jail, hardly a place to induce rejoicing.
James goes further in his instructions. James 1:2-4 says, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
I saw in an old journal of mine that next to this verse in James I had written, "I can accept trials, but I have not yet gotten to where I can rejoice in them." What kind of trials might you and I be facing? Let's see. The death of a friend or family member? Financial hardships? You can't pay your bills? Could your house be repossessed? Alienation from a child? A wandering child? Marital discord? Health issues, either chronic or acute? Do you deal with pain on a daily basis? Questions or fears about the future?
I have faced these things in the past and will face others in the future, I am sure. You have your list as well. Must I consider these things as cause for joy? I don't really think I have a choice if I am to please God. These verses say, "in everything," "all things," "this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Do you have some heartaches that you cannot share? Then count it all joy as you talk to Jesus. He already knows, but He wants you to acknowledge them, to trust Him with your pain. He wants to see your triumph.
This Thanksgiving as you are sharing what you are thankful for, don't forget the difficult things. Can you count it all joy when you encounter those things?
~~Faith Himes Lamb
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