Skip to main content

Being Thankful for all Things

                “Thank you for our homes.  Thank you for safety and that we do not fear persecution.  Thank you for the ability to work and earn a living and for this good land that you give us”.
                I have heard some version of that prayer for as long as I can remember.
                I am all for recognising where our blessings come from and being thankful.  After all, James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above”.  You are not the source of the good things in your life.  I completely agree with that idea.
                However, I have begun to wonder what these words say to someone who is feeling abandoned instead of blessed?  What do they say to those who do not have a job or a happy home?  More importantly, what does this prayer about those situations?
                If you listen to the things that North Americans say, it would be easy to surmise that God’s blessing and “the good life” are the same thing.  “You have a big house, three cars and a boat?  Well, God has certainly blessed you!” 
                In my experience, though, some of my best blessings have come through the worst times.  Bad times led to a lot more personal and spiritual growth than good times ever did.  Situations that I never would have chosen have sometimes been the best thing for me.    
                We see this in scripture as well.  In the first few chapters of Acts, the church grows a little.  Then, when the church in Jerusalem is persecuted and its followers are forced to leave the city, the message goes with them and spreads to the entire known world (Acts 8).  Something that could have broken the newly formed people of God, actually led to their growth and strengthening.
                To be clear, I like the good times as much as anyone and I am not wishing for tragedy in my life.  However, I know that when tragedy comes, blessings will come too.  In fact, God does some of his best work when things seem to be the worst.
                As Psalm 34 reminds us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (verse 18).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more