In Everything...Give Thanks

“In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  I Thess. 5:18

How many times have I asked Jesus, “What is your will?”  Here is his answer—give thanks in everything.   

E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  How is that possible... when life doesn’t go the way I want it to? when discouragement sets in? when frustration won’t leave? when life is overwhelming?  How can I say, “Thank you, Jesus, for _________”?  (another dirty diaper, spilled milk, a screaming child, another sleep-deprived night, a broken dish, a sick child, a dirty house, lost keys, sibling fights, tense moments with hubby, etc.)  James says some enlightening words in chapter 1--

^“2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. ^5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help.”

So, thank Jesus for your “gifts”!  Hang in there.  Stick it out.  Go through it ... there is a satisfaction and deep joy in knowing that God loves me, he’s with me, and he knows what he is doing in the midst of the yucky stuff.  There’s a spiritual exchange that happens when I give Jesus thanks regardless of how I feel---he gives me JOY regardless of my circumstances.  And on the other side I know him better, and myself too.

I have the capability of deciding to be thankful.  When I do, it changes my vision—I see Jesus more clearly, and rest in his faithfulness.

And when life is good—remember to give Jesus honor by thanking him for his goodness...because it is his gift to us.   Happy Thanksgiving!