Thanksgiving for All

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Th 5:18 AV)

 

Being grateful is neither circumstantially driven nor a neutral choice.  We are commanded to be thankful and we are commanded to be thankful in everything.  Good or bad.  In times of plenty and times of poverty.  In times of sickness as well as times of health.  In times of financial blessings as well as poverty.  We are commanded to be thankful in all things.  The reason is simple.  Because God commands it.  Thankfulness is God’s will.  Regardless of how we feel or what we are experiencing, God’s will does not change.  We are to be thankful for all things.  I know.  Easier said than done, sometimes.  However, to cease to be thankful only results in deep-rooted bitterness.  Failing to have eyes that can see the blessings in spite of the challenges means we live life under a dark cloud.  Thankfulness in everything is a result of perception, humility, and a positive state of mind.  God is always good.  Especially to His children.

Praise the LORD that my parents never had the traditional practice of testifying around the dinner table before we partook of a very large turkey.  As these things go, children have a hard time thinking of anything for which they are thankful.  For the most part, children thank God for the same things year after year.  They thank God for their parents, for their brothers and sisters, and for God Himself.  It is not that they are totally ungrateful.  It is just that they are not acclimated to think in a grateful way.  When there is something to notice which would cause harm or loss, they are all over that.  If a sibling takes a belonging or unnecessarily strikes another, complaints fly.  When my sons were young, we taught them to always say thank you no matter what was offered.  This served them well.  When they were older, I had they had the privilege to go on missions trips to South America and Europe.  All sorts of accommodations and fare were offered.  Most were out of their comfort zone.  One such trip took my oldest along the Amazon river.  There, he learned sleeping in a hammock was actually and wonderful experience.  So much so, he brought on home and we mounted it in his bedroom as his primary sleeping arrangement.  Teaching our young people to be thankful in all things is more than necessary.  Thankfulness is what will get them through the hardest times of life.

As stated before, thankfulness isn’t something we practice only when things are good.  Thankfulness is something commanded no matter the situation.  My wife and I had decided several years back to always be more grateful for what we have had than to resent what we had lost.  This decision came on the heels of losing three sons to the ministry and the loss of several loved ones.  All in a matter of two years.  Today, we sit alone.  No sons.  No daughters-in-law.  No grandchildren.  LORD willing we will be able to video call them later.  We can sit and become bitter we don’t enjoy the blessings which so many others enjoy, or we can be grateful the LORD has blessed us with three sons and their families who love the LORD and wish to serve Him with their lives.  I can sit and remember the loved ones who have gone on before with deep sorrow in my heart, or I can be thankful the LORD blessed me with their lives.  Therefore, I will always be thankful for what I have had or have more than I miss what I have lost.  God is good.  All the time.  And He deserves our gratitude.