Ever feel like asking that? You read your Bible verse for the day:
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:15
"In all circumstances?" That's a very hard saying to comprehend, sometimes. When the the car breaks down, the electricity is shut off, the computer goes beserk? When your husband is laid off, the insurance bill goes up, and you wish Christmas was twelve months away instead of one. When medications do not relieve the pain and doctors give you no hope. Giving thanks is not really on your mind.
It's particularly hard when it comes to relationships: When we are not able to be with those we love. When we've lost someone. When our child is rebellious and seems to hate us--the child we carried in our womb for 9 months, labored to give life to, and raised to walk in the ways of God. It's hard to be thankful in that circumstance. One may think: "Surely, you don't mean me, Lord."
How can one be thankful when they are rejected, ignored, or betrayed by a spouse or friend?
How can one be grateful when a chair at the Thanksgiving dinner-table is empty and will never be filled with that missing loved one again?
"Be thankful in all circumstances?" Is it really God's "will" for me to have the heartache I am having? The difficulty? Sometimes we wonder how this could be. I know. But there is a reason God says for us to be thankful in all circumstances. For we who know His Son, we have a greater hope. We have a greater blessing. We have a permanent future-- one filled with joy-- without pain, sorrow, and heartache. This thing we deal with today: the grief, loneliness, rejection, or the fleeting fear. This too shall pass. We are sojourners in a foreign land. This earth is not our home. We may not be thankful for the circumstances, but for the fact that Christ is with us in, and during the circumstances. God understands our pain. His grace is sufficient to meet our needs. As we turn our eyes toward Him and his goodness, our circumstances pale in significance. He is so much larger than all our problems. He is so much greater than all our fears. He has more love than all the people we know. And His love never wavers, never rejects, never fails. So, yes; in this we can be thankful.
Take a few moments and look around you, beyond the looming obstacle of circumstance. Savor the memories of yesterday; appreciate the blessings of the moment. Rejoice in tomorrow's hope and eternity's treasures. selahV
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