Paul said “Give thanks in all circumstances.”
Yeah, right.
I know, that might be a little too honest for some of you,
but for others it is exactly how you feel right now, or how you felt yesterday,
or will feel tomorrow. The truth is,
sometimes it is easy to be thankful, and sometimes it is most definitely not.
We are told that when life gives us lemons, make lemonade;
that when God closes a door, he opens a window; that we need to keep our chin
up and keep pressing on, no matter what life throws our way. If only it were
that easy….
Thankfulness is a matter of perspective. Some people are thankful because they are
looking down at the grass, not up at it; others find reasons to
complain about almost everything. I am
always amazed at how our African brothers and sisters are continually thankful
in all circumstances. And trust me, they
have every reason not to be thankful, at
least if you are looking at material possessions and ease of life.
You see, thankfulness is not something we can or should turn
on and off, like the bedroom light switch.
We don’t choose a day of the year on which to be thankful. Being thankful is, like love, a verb; something we must choose to do continually, even when
every fiber of our being tells us not to.
It should be our lifestyle and come from deep within.
Join me in giving thanks to God for all he has done, for his
mercy and love, and for the gift of salvation.
Join me in thanking God for ECM’s first thirty years, and in asking Him for
His blessings on another thirty.
Give thanks in all
circumstances. Yeah. Right!
