...for EVERYTHING?
I realize as we get close to Thanksgiving that there are things you aren't thankful for.
Exams.
Papers.
Roommates who don't respect the fact that you sleep and hang up your clothes and throw out food before it gets disgusting.
But for some of you, there is much, much more.
Life-altering illnesses.
Death.
Parents with addictions.
Homes without love.
A past full of tragedy, abuse, or brokenness.
And those challenges cloud your outlook on things that might have made you thankful. A good turkey dinner can't stack up to the evil you've seen or heard or felt.
It's hard to be thankful for the little things when the big things are terrible, right?
So you might be offended at these verses:
"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything..." (Ephesians 5:19-20)
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
You might look at these verses and think, You've got to be kidding me, God. I could never give thanks for that.
True.
But let me throw one more passage into the mix:
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever," (Psalm 118:1).
We don't give thanks for our situations. We give thanks to God and for God. (You can get more detail about that here.)
Why? Because He is good. Not because our situations are good. Not because our families are good. Not because our grades or our relationships or our decisions are good.
Because He is good.
And His love endures forever. HE LOVES YOU. Not because of what we do or say or think or how many scriptures we memorize. True, unconditional love that will last forever and ever and ever.
And though we should be thankful continually (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, above), Thanksgiving is a great reminder that He is good and He loves you dearly.
Even when you struggle.
Even when you mourn.
Even when you can't see how in the world a situation could be for your good or His glory. Even when you can't see how God could be involved in your life or your plans or your day.
HE. IS. GOOD.
HE. IS. LOVE.
And you are thankful for that even if you have nothing else to be thankful for.
The more you focus on His goodness, the more you realize that His goodness is all around you.
Even in the pain.
Even in the trials.
Even in the Thanksgiving get-together where you'll leave feeling much less thankful than you were when you got there.
If you look for His goodness, you'll see it.
Consider Jesus, at the tomb of His dear friend, Lazarus. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. When He arrived at their home, the sisters were weeping (wailing, actually) and Lazarus was already in the grave, four days dead. Jesus weeps with them, then looks to His Father and says, "Father, I thank you..." (John 11:41).
Because He knew God was good and loved Him.
So in everything, in any circumstance, whether your life is so great you could shout it from the rooftops or if it's so bad you'd like to run away and never come back, THANK GOD.
Because He is good.
Because He loves you.
Because that's enough!
Oh, please forward or re-tweet this! You have no idea who needs to hear this truth THIS WEEK.
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
Exams.
Papers.
Roommates who don't respect the fact that you sleep and hang up your clothes and throw out food before it gets disgusting.
But for some of you, there is much, much more.
Life-altering illnesses.
Death.
Parents with addictions.
Homes without love.
A past full of tragedy, abuse, or brokenness.
And those challenges cloud your outlook on things that might have made you thankful. A good turkey dinner can't stack up to the evil you've seen or heard or felt.
It's hard to be thankful for the little things when the big things are terrible, right?
So you might be offended at these verses:
"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything..." (Ephesians 5:19-20)
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
You might look at these verses and think, You've got to be kidding me, God. I could never give thanks for that.
True.
But let me throw one more passage into the mix:
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever," (Psalm 118:1).
We don't give thanks for our situations. We give thanks to God and for God. (You can get more detail about that here.)
Why? Because He is good. Not because our situations are good. Not because our families are good. Not because our grades or our relationships or our decisions are good.
Because He is good.
And His love endures forever. HE LOVES YOU. Not because of what we do or say or think or how many scriptures we memorize. True, unconditional love that will last forever and ever and ever.
And though we should be thankful continually (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, above), Thanksgiving is a great reminder that He is good and He loves you dearly.
Even when you struggle.
Even when you mourn.
Even when you can't see how in the world a situation could be for your good or His glory. Even when you can't see how God could be involved in your life or your plans or your day.
HE. IS. GOOD.
HE. IS. LOVE.
And you are thankful for that even if you have nothing else to be thankful for.
The more you focus on His goodness, the more you realize that His goodness is all around you.
Even in the pain.
Even in the trials.
Even in the Thanksgiving get-together where you'll leave feeling much less thankful than you were when you got there.
If you look for His goodness, you'll see it.
Consider Jesus, at the tomb of His dear friend, Lazarus. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. When He arrived at their home, the sisters were weeping (wailing, actually) and Lazarus was already in the grave, four days dead. Jesus weeps with them, then looks to His Father and says, "Father, I thank you..." (John 11:41).
Because He knew God was good and loved Him.
So in everything, in any circumstance, whether your life is so great you could shout it from the rooftops or if it's so bad you'd like to run away and never come back, THANK GOD.
Because He is good.
Because He loves you.
Because that's enough!
Oh, please forward or re-tweet this! You have no idea who needs to hear this truth THIS WEEK.
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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