life stinks.
life seems unfair.
life is excruciating.
Let's just be real.
When life is grand, it's easy to be grateful to God for His blessings.
But what about when we lose our job
or get sick
or feel depressed
or experience a broken relationship
or watch a loved one die
or have to carry on without that one we loved
or witness a life dream slip through our fingers
or are betrayed by someone we trusted
or feel overwhelmed
or are falsely accused
or feel alone
or simply don't know what to do next?
????????????????
Is there anything to be thankful for during those heart-wrenching times? Is there any good reason to even try to be grateful?
It's so easy to say "Yes! Of course there is!"
It's painful to live it out, though. It can rip our hearts to shreds as we try to understand what He's doing up there; how He could have allowed us to suffer such loss and disappointment.
Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in the awareness of deep, deep pain all around me--family and friends suffering inexplicable loss. I, myself, am sorrowful over loss . . . and more loss looming in the near future if God doesn't miraculously intervene.
Why, God? Why? It doesn't make sense.
To me. To us.
Why should I make an effort to be thankful when this world is such a bleak place to visit on my way to eternity? Why should I encourage anyone else to be grateful as well?
As I've thought and prayed about this, God, through His Word, has brought quite a few reasons to mind!
First of all, it's not about me. Either I trust Him, or I don't. There's no middle ground, even though I often live like I think there is. If I don't trust Him fully, I'm not truly trusting Him at all. Part of trusting Him is to freely give Him the reigns to work in ways that glorify Himself, which He is more than deserving to do, whether or not things go my way in the process.
He never said everything would always go my way. He's totally okay with me (us) asking for things to turn out a certain way, but He knows fully what is best, far beyond our understanding of it. To demand from Him, or announce at Him what He's going to do, is overstepping. To withhold praise from Him because He didn't perform our wishes like a genie in a bottle is to behave like a toddler having a tantrum (or an adult holding on to bitterness!). The glorious thing about it is that God is gracious, merciful, and loving all of the time, even when our hearts are hurting because of our own mistakes.
Gratitude breeds joy! Joy is the opposite of the bleakness of this world. Joy is a state of mind and heart that can be nourished during any kind of emotion, because it isn't a feeling, but an attitude. Joy can say, "I feel __________ (sorrowful, angry, betrayed, lonely, confused, etc.), but I'm choosing to keep walking forward, trusting my capable God to provide for and love me. I'm going to accept encouragement from well-meaning people and encourage others when I can. I'm going to acknowledge and work through my feelings, for as long as that takes, but I'm not going to wallow in them or hold on to bitterness." Joy doesn't equal happiness. Joy surpasses happiness and any other emotion (emotions are fickle!).
The Bible tells us to give thanks. It never says to be grateful only when we feel like it, or only when things are going great in our limited understanding. Paul praised and thanked God all the time from jail cell to jail cell, where he was placed because of his zeal in telling people about the saving grace of Jesus. He knew the secret to being content in the worst of circumstances: It's a choice.
Jesus understands our pain. He was betrayed. He lost loved ones to physical death. He was rejected by His own. He bore unspeakable physical, emotional, and spiritual pain in order to pay a debt He didn't owe. We owed it but couldn't pay it. He gave up all comforts so He could comfort us.
There's blessing in the pain. If we are willing to receive it in the midst of the agony, there is a peace, an assurance, a sweetness surrounding us, deeper and more meaningful than we can ever sense during "the good times." When we recognize it to be our loving Lord holding and comforting and leading us, we become aware of all there is to thank Him for, even in the present pain.
Lift up your head, oh, hurting ones. It's okay. Offer up a prayer of thanksgiving, however brief or long-winded. No flowery words are necessary, just the sincere words of your heart. Jesus knows and understands.
"I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Philippians 4:11-13
"So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:1
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