Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
All circumstances? I mean, many of us aren’t thankful in favorable circumstances, let alone ALL. All includes, the messy circumstances, the frustrating circumstances, the painful circumstances, the trying circumstances and yet as you can see God’s word states that it is His will for you & me to be thankful in ALL circumstances.
We may not be thankful for the circumstance, but we can be thankful in it. We would not choose difficult circumstances for ourselves or for those we love, but there is so much to be thankful for right in the middle of the mess.
We can grieve and still be thankful, we can hurt and still be thankful, we can fail and still be thankful, we can learn to be thankful in ALL circumstances.
I think our Heavenly Father wants this for each of us because He knows what a thankful heart can do for us. He knows that thanks keeps our hearts in right relationship with Him. He knows that giving thanks allows us to hold onto peace. He knows that a grateful heart reminds us that we are not self-sufficient and that all blessings flow from Him. He knows that thanksgiving helps us to shake off the discouragement and find the gold. He knows that a thankful heart keeps bitterness away and ushers in a joy that can only be found in Him.
In the middle of the circumstances we would never choose, we get to see God’s faithfulness, we get to discover we are not alone, we get to experience peace that just doesn’t make sense, we get to learn to accept the love of others, we get to discover that some things take time, we learn to appreciate what actually matters.
May we become people who overflow with thanksgiving, today and every day. Thankful in ALL circumstances, thankful for what the hard things are showing us and growing in us. God loves us, He wants what’s best for us and He wants us thankful in ALL things.
Neeserisms 