My initial reaction
So, I joined my daughter at a Bible teaching this week, and gained a new insight into the art of being thankful. When I first heard the topic of the teaching that night, I immediately went into ho-hum mode. I fully expected to hear the same old arguments of why we should be thankful. You know: God is good, give thanks for good weather when traveling, for your family, for food on the table because people are starving in China after all, those kinds of things.
Am I missing something?
I thought, “Ok, maybe I missed counting some of my blessings. I’d have to be more aware, more in tune to things for which I should be thankful.” The Bible tells us we should be thankful in all things. I’ve known that. However, it can be difficult to be thankful when times are tough, or when bad things happen, and when your heart is breaking. Although the idea of being thankful for everything was ingrained in me, I didn’t understand all that it entails.
Chastised or judged?
Was I going to be chastised, or judged, for my lack of being thankful for the good and bad things in my life? In my defense, I immediately thought of how thankful I am for all my blessings. Yes, I’ve been known not to jump for joy in my rough times, or when I’m in emotional pain. Could I have searched for the silver lining in more dark clouds? Was I not looking up enough to overcome sadness, or anger, even blame? My posture slumped. Clearly, I had no idea what to expect, however, I was already accused by my own pointing fingers.
Do we have to be thankful?
Do you recall how you loved your mommy and daddy when you were small? Or when you had your first adolescent “puppy love”? There was nothing you wouldn’t do to please them, right? You wanted to make your parents happy so you obeyed them out of your love for them. My fellow Christians, you love God. Make Him happy with you. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 16-18, “Always be joyful! Never stop praying. Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this.”
Choose to sacrifice
That’s why you have to choose to give thanks, in all things, because it is God’s will for your life. When you choose to be thankful in the midst of your troubles, it glorifies God through the sacrifice of how you might otherwise behave.
How and why?
How many of you have been fortunate enough to have received instructions on HOW to be thankful, or WHY? Have you been told to look beyond the “things” that have caused your distress? I heard it really for the first time the other night. And maybe, I heard it because I was ready to hear it. That is possible too.
Example:
It’s kind of like being told to forgive. We balk at it and say we can’t. We think it’s unfair because we mistakenly think the other guy is getting all the benefit. Wrong. Forgiveness is for the forgiver. It sets the forgiver free. Likewise, being thankful sets you on a path toward joy and sets you free of the bondage of hopelessness, anger, regret, blame, and other negativity.
The point
You’re not wired to like, or to be thankful for a “bad” experience in itself. Likewise, you are not wired to be thankful for the stressful, or seemingly destructive things in your life, by and of themselves.
The purpose and intent
However, the Bible tells us that, “All things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are the called according to His purpose.” Therefore, instead, be thankful for the lesson, and for God’s grace to be drawn into His circle again.
Gain
When I was nine, I was sent to live with my paternal grandmother in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She’d wanted me since I was five, but my mom wouldn’t let me go. I was living with my mom in Minnesota at the time and knew nothing about that exchange. I sometimes wish she had sent me. How would my life have differed, I’ve wondered. But, God in His wisdom, had plans for me to prosper in other ways.
Loss
When I moved back to Alaska from a very comfortable existence on the East Coast, I was twelve and a half years old. I wasn’t thrilled to return under the conditions in which I did. I felt rejected, thrown out like dirty dishwater, and felt I was no longer valued.
My broken heart
My wonderful grandmother , whom I adored, had died several months before, and my step grandfather, who was many years younger that she, remarried. I was not a happy camper, to say the least. After a few months, I was told that I was to be sent back, ” to my own people.” The only thing is, I wasn’t allowed to live with my family any longer.
Exiled
I was being sent to an orphanage in the middle of literally nowhere. Twenty miles upriver from Bethel, Alaska, and I’d never heard of Bethel before. I know I wasn’t thankful. I was fearful, but I wasn’t going to let anyone know. So I made jokes, laughed inappropriately and as I recall, I was sarcastic. I recall that very well.
I travelled by bush plane from Bethel to the orphanage. The pilot was friendly, even after I made fun of his last name. Not so funny though, I didn’t know it was him I had made fun of until he introduced himself. I was alone, hurting, and embarrassed, and wished myself under a rock.
God was always in it
The orphanage was a church founded home, and the administrators and their two children were loving and kind. Although that helped, it took a long while to fit in. I gradually learned to trust that God had my best interests at heart. He had given me two kind dorm mothers, and only one crotchety one to live under.
The bull by the horns
I dreamed of the day I could leave and be with my mom again. I studied my catechism and leaned into God as much as I knew how at the time. He was with me, and He helped me stay strong and determined.
The other kids were broken, just as I was. They were still able to laugh and play, and, “So would I,” I told myself.
Teased for my Bostonian accent, even my speech separated me from everyone. Because I had to learn from scratch the many things at which the other girls excelled, I felt ostracized. They other girls teased me and called me “baby” in their native language. However, I wouldn’t cry or give anyone the satisfaction I felt the other girls were looking for.
The challenge
Eventually I learned how to make my thirty loaves of bread, and bake sixty at a time. I scrubbed floors on my hands and knees, and emptied Johnny buckets with the best of them. I sorted and did laundry for nearly sixty kids. We used a treadle sewing machine to mend clothes. I wasn’t an expert, but I managed to muddle through when it was my turn to be the Mending Girl.
Darning socks with wooden eggs on a stick was tedious work. Ironing with flat irons heated on the wood stove became a fun challenge. We had contests to see who could iron the boys’ white cotton Sunday shirts with the least amount of wrinkles. Eventually I learned to carry my weight independently and I was accepted as one of them.
Treadle Singer Sewing Machine
Rewards
I even became proud of myself because God was with me. I wanted to learn how to get through the dark periods and be okay on the other side. So, I learned to be thankful for what I had, and for the things I was learning. Instinctively, I knew it would make me a better person, and thereafter better able to take care of my own family one day. It gave me hope to look beyond my circumstances.
Your choice?
Perhaps God allowed you to choose a certain path because there were lessons you wouldn’t learn anywhere else. Perhaps your situation had nothing to do with your choice. If you didn’t choose your path, do your best to trust in the Lord’s plan for you anyway. That part is your choice. Choose to honor Him, give Him glory by your obedience, and He will take you through to joy.
The science of being thankful
Science says some of the benefits of thankfulness are: “it reduces toxic emotions, it supports better health, it opens relationships, enhances empathy, reduces aggression, improves self-esteem, reduces social comparison, you sleep better, it increases mental strength, reduces PTSD, and increases resilience.” The Bible says,” We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” You are able to do this because God made you that way.
Biblical truth
“All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me.” God has given you authority over your will. Peter said don’t be surprised at hardships and “fiery ordeals”. Choose to be thankful. The hope of victory, on the other side of the trials Christ is bringing you through, benefits you by knowing God is in “it”, with you. How good did you feel, when your parents praised you whenever you made a good choice because you made them happy and proud of you?
The benefits of thankfulness
Choosing thankfulness, not only pleases God, but also builds your character. Furthermore, it makes you strong, and honorable, because you obeyed God. Thankfulness keeps you from blaming others, and keeps you from being negative. It allows you to feel hope. It teaches you that you are not alone. Being thankful activates your faith in a loving, caring God. Consequently, when you feel loved and cared for in the midst of any trial, how can that not help but to give you joy?
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