thanks

I want to be truly grateful for what God has given me.

Last Sunday Pastor Steve preached on being truly grateful for all things, good and bad, roses and thorns, because all things work together for God's good. He said that the root of ingratitude is accusation. By being ungrateful we accuse God of not knowing what is best for us or how to care for His own. Putting it that way is really a revelation and it illuminates the true damage of grumbling and complaining. I don't believe there is anything wrong with being honest with God regarding our circumstances. He doesn't call us to be 'happy all the day' like the old hymn implies. I do believe that our joy and faith needs to come from a deeper place; a place that the mucky sludge of life cannot taint. When we believe in the delicate balance of our personal choices and their consequences vs. The ultimate fact that God is in control of all things, rolling with the punches comes a little easier.

I got a picture from the Lord once for a friend going through a major trauma in her life. I saw my friend and her family standing in their dining room, and this "invisible" presence was surrounding them and holding them close in one arm, while the other arm was stretched out in front of them. Their circumstances were standing before them, but everything that was being hurled at them was being filtered through the hand of the One holding on to them. What an awesome picture of what our Father does for us. The pain and the trials of this world are bound to come, but God is there, filtering everything that comes at us so that we are not faced with more than we can handle through His power. Accepting that kind of picture requires something profound--the faith to believe that the trials we face can be ultimately used for our good, and for the good of those around us. We have to reconcile ourselves with the truth that while God is all powerful and could squash every painful thing that comes our way, He allows certain things to happen because of 1) Free Will and consequences, 2) our trials make us stronger as a person and as a believer, and 3) our experiences help us relate to people around us who need to know Jesus. This is only part of the picture; a simplistic view of why "bad things happen to good people". We can never fully comprehend the big picture, the plans and mind of God. But we can believe in His inherent goodness and unconditional love and cling to the promise that all things work together for good for those who love Him.

So I want to be grateful for all the blessings God has given me this Thanksgiving and all the time...My family and friends, my job, my apartment, my church...But I also want to thank Him for the trials I face that make me stronger and that show me the glory of His power. When I come through something tough victoriously, it is a testimony to His amazing grace and faithfulness. There is nothing I would rather be than a testimony to the grace of God.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.