Give Thanks

I meant to post this last week, but things have been a little crazy with the move less than 2 weeks away. This is my article from the November newsletter. Enjoy.
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I can’t believe it’s November already! The days and weeks seem to be flying by faster than I’d like. This year seems to have passed especially quickly. We’re already on the verge of 2005. As the year comes to an end, and we get into the holiday season, it’s a great opportunity to look back at the year so far.

To recall those New Year’s resolutions and try to catch up on the ones you’ve fallen behind on. To remember the vacations of summer and wish it were still that warm and lazy. To look back at all the triumphs and tragedies of the last 10-12 months. But mostly, to give thanks.

One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” As I look back on the past year, that’s not a real easy thing to do. How can I thank God for Misty having surgery to remove her thyroid? How can I show gratitude that my Dad had heart surgery? Am I to be grateful that my grandmother’s health is failing? Should we be thankful that Misty’s grandmother passed away?

None of these events scream of thankfulness. Most of you looking back on 2004 may feel the same way. Maybe you lost a loved one or a friend moved away. Maybe you’ve been in some trouble or your grades haven’t been great. How can God expect us to thank him for all the crap we deal with day in and day out?

Perhaps he doesn’t. That’s the way I used to look at the verse. “Thank God for your situation no matter how crumby it is.” Now, though, I have a little different take on my favorite verse, and it makes me appreciate it even more. Psalm 136 cleared it up for me. The first three verses say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever.” The Psalmist then goes on to list a variety of wonderful things God does for us every day. With the refrain always being, “His love endures forever.”

No matter what 2004 brought, and no matter what 2005 will bring; His love endures forever! Do we have to be thankful that our lives seem to be falling apart? No! But we should be thankful that God is there to help us pick up the pieces. “In all things give thanks” for his love.