Give Thanks

"God doesn't expect us to be thankful FOR all things, but He does expect us to be thankful IN all things." (Joyce Meyers)

Thanksgiving is tomorrow...currently our family (church) is experiencing great sadness at the loss of a father and a mother, and the decline of a husband, but great joy at the healing of a friend. The force of emotion from extreme to extreme is painful, confusing, and quite unwelcome. It is truly easy to rejoice when God moves the way I want...and thankfulness follows, sometimes overflowing to the point ridiculous. But when He, in His wisdom, goes against what I would will for a person, one of the last things I want to do is get on my knees in thankfulness...but I am learning. In thanks, I learned this week to say "I love you" more often and really mean it because (temporary) separation through death could come at any moment. I have learned to be thankful for the moment, not looking to the future, not focusing on the past, but what moment I am in with whoever I am with...for that moment will not happen again. I am thankful for words and actions that bring life into situations that are full of death...The power of saying "I am here" "I love you" "I am praying for you", and the simple power of a hug, a kiss, a tear. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire....Test everything. Hold on to the good." I Thess. 5:16-21. Satan would like us to read into the scriptures that it is God's will for us to be thankful for anything and everything that happens to us...that is impossible while we are in these bodies. Circumstances hurt, leave scars, change our lives forever. God truly loves us and understands pain and change. And his will for us is only good, thus he has given us Jesus so that we CAN give thanks in all circumstances, not for the circumstance itself but for the overcoming power of Christ in that circumstance. Jesus changes death to life, takes the hurt and covers it with peace and allows our scars to become our trophies testifying to His unfailing love. So for Jesus, His power and love in us, we can always be thankful....Whatever the circumstance.
Dear Father, Cover us with your grace and mercy and thank you for giving us an object of thanks in your only son, Jesus, who gave up everything for us, that we could live in abundance in Him.