Encouraging Words-A Different View of Giving Thanks

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)

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 (NIV)

Given that today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., it only seems right to talk about giving thanks.  I want to take a different path than you might expect, however. 

It's a pretty standard thing for most of us to list our many blessings and praise the Lord for them on Thanksgiving, but this year, I'm choosing to focus on the most painful experiences of my life.  Several come to mind'; the desertion of my mother and me by my father, the failure of a business venture, and the deaths of my mother and wife.  I'm sure you could all come up with a similar short list.

Trust me, these were all devastating at the time they happened, and they still don't bring a warm fuzzy as I think of them right now.  I have learned that time does NOT heal all wounds, but it gives you a chance to understand their impact in your life.

My dad's sudden departure (a week after I graduated high school) was hurtful and brought great stress into our lives, but it also forced me to grow up a lot quicker than I probably would have otherwise.  The business failure almost ruined me financially, but I developed a greater respect for the business process, something that has subsequently helped my career get back on track.  Losing my mother was traumatic, but it gave me the freedom to finally grow into an independent adult and learn from mistakes I made on my own.  My wife Bette's passing was the most painful thing that has ever happened to me, but it drove me to my knees where I began the process of truly yielding my life to the Lord.

I would have avoided each of these events if I could, but I would have missed the blessings that came from my life being shaken up, from my path being radically changed.  Romans 8:28 can seem like a trite cliche, but I have lived it!  I bet many of you have too. 

During our Maryland Saints Fellowship meeting this past Sunday, we were discussing the concept stated in the 1 Thessalonians text when I brought up the positive things the Lord has brought into my life since Bette was promoted to heaven that probably would not have happened if she was still alive.  Apostle Dale said that, while he was deeply sorry for the pain I experienced, he was thankful that Bette has passed on so he and I could be in each others' lives and be engaged in ministry together.  I hadn't really thought of it from that perspective before, but the blessings that came out of the tragedies in my life have a scope beyond me, just as my life has been blessed with the joy of my marriage to Brenda that could come only after her previous marriage ended in divorce.

While I can never honestly say I am thankful for any of those events happening, I an deeply grateful and praise God for what He has done in my life as a result of them.  None of those wounds has ever completely healed, and they won't this side of heaven.  The Lord, however,  has provided blessings that I could first put beside the pain, then later to cover it, and eventually to put it in a box and sit it up on a shelf--it's there but not constant, not debilitating, because we have God's greatest weapon against pain and tragedy...

hope.

We all have some very bad things that have happened in our lives, perhaps some of them are still in the process of playing out.  We also have hope because God loves us so much he sent His son down to Earth to set the path for us to have eternal life and fellowship with Him.

Whatever is happening in your life this Thanksgiving, we can thank the Lord for His Son, and for the hope He gave us.

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.