No Matter What, Be Grateful!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I have to admit that following this quote and doing what it says is hard for me. How can you be "joyful always"?

So many things happen to us that make it difficult to "give thanks in all circumstances".

People get divorced, suffer from illness, have financial problems, and lose their jobs. Many people are lonely, depressed, and lose babies to miscarriages.

Those are some heavy burdens to carry. Giving thanks in tough times is not only difficult, it seems impossible.

I was watching a recent episode of Oprah today and the relatives of Ron Goldman were on the show.

They were comsumed by doing everything they can until they die to see to it that O.J. Simpson is destroyed. They are even publishing his controversial book - now titled I Did It: Confessions of the Killer - in order to get 90% of the profits and keep O.J. from getting any money.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he already finished?

What more do they want? O.J. will never be able to find work. He'll never be respected. He'll never live in peace.

Apparently, neither will the Goldman family.

While watching the show I'm thinking, "Why don't they want to let this go? Why do they insist on focusing all of their energy on the negative? There has to be something that they're happy and thankful for, right?"

Let's be honest. When tragic times hit, there doesn't seem to be much to be thankful for.
Are we to give thanks for the heartache? Are we to give thanks for the devastation? Are we supposed to be glad that our world is caving in? No.

It's ok to hurt. It's ok to confess our pain and even our anger. God is not asking us to pretend.

He's not asking us to say that painful things are good. What He wants is for us to confess that He is good.

There are many things to give thanks for in the midst of heartache. But, are you willing to look for them?

When we give thanks, it's a declaration of our faith. It shows that we are willing to trust Him even when we don't understand what's going on.

It's an indication that we are seeking the good and that we expect to get through the storm.

We should be grateful because this is what God commands of us.

Life may be going well for you. No tragedy, no pain, no heartache. Everything is falling into place.

When times are great it's easy for us to take them for granted.

When's the last time you gave thanks for the pleasures in your life? Look around and give thanks for your home, for the people who love you, for the sunshine, for that glass of water you drank.

Think about it. When you give something to someone and they say "Thank you", aren't you more likely to do it again?

If we want to keep receiving blessings, we have to keep giving thanks. Whatever we want more of we have to be willing to give it away.

Gratefully yours,

Derek