Giving Thanks When Life Tanks…
Have you ever struggled to Thank God when life just doesn’t go as planned? I have! Through life’s trials, death, daily routines…. Its hard! In fact, some days I want to stay in bed and give up, but I know that is not what the Lord wants…
Growing up in ministry we never knew week to week if we would be able to pay our bills on time, or at all. Yet, somehow God proved Himself faithful time and time again. When we were in those valleys, it was hard to say “Thank You”. It was difficult to praise Him because we felt He was letting us down. We saw others who were being blessed and so happy and yet we were wondering if we could continue the ministry God called us to.
Even now as an adult, looking back, I wonder how I could have been so ungrateful to not praise Him or Thank Him, because His track record was always PERFECT! When losing my dad to Lewy Body Dementia, it was hard to trust the Lord, hard to thank Him for taking my dad home even though he was ultimately healed. Same goes for the loss of my dear friend, Stoney…. I would cry (still cry some days), pray, and thank God he was no longer suffering in pain. I find that when we give our praise to God through our trials and temptations, He somehow rewards us with His Grace and Mercy beyond what we could imagine. None of us deserve it by any means, but He pours out His love and kindness when we stop, and give back our suffering to Him.
As we move forward into a month of Thanksgiving, may we grow stronger and deeper into our Faith of TRUSTING the One who can move mountains, calm storms, and fill us with His power.
Death, loss, trials, they all can be used for a greater good if we allow the Lord to do His will. I am not saying its easy to conquer these on our own, in fact we can’t! Only the Lord can guide us and prepare us for each journey. However, let us give Him thanks with a grateful heart in all things, knowing He will prepare the way before us. When I stop to count my blessings THROUGH every trial and loss I have encountered, I find my eyes tear up, and my heart races, knowing the Goodness of God has seen me!
