When it is Tough to be Thankful
As we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, we rehearse all the blessings of the year for which we are thankful. It is easy, or at least it should be easy, to thank God for the good things that happen to us. It is tough to be thankful when it seems that there is more “bad” than “good” in our lives.
Yet the apostle Paul said, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). Does that mean we are to give thanks in every situation? What about circumstances where it would be unrealistic to be thankful, such as, lying on a hospital bed in severe pain.
Technically, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 does not say “For everything give thanks” but “in everything give thanks.” The idea is in every circumstance of life, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, give thanks.
Paul taught this truth by example. Listen to him when things were going well. He said, “We give thanks to God always for you all” (1 Thess.1:2). Again, he wrote, “For what thanks can we render to God for you” (1 Thess. 3:9). Now watch him when things are going wrong. In Philippi, he was arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail. The scourging was Roman, not Jewish. The Jewish limit on the number of stripes a prisoner could receive was forty stripes save one. The Romans had no such restriction. The number of lashes depended on the caprice of the jailer. Luke simply says it was “many stripes” (Acts 16:23). Paul called it “suffering” (1 Thess. 2:2). In that painful situation, Paul and Silas were “praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25).
We who know the God of abundant benefits should be constantly thanking Him in every situation. The next time you are tempted to complain, why not replace griping with gratitude? Thank Him not just when you win, but even when you seemingly lose.
During World War II, the Germans bombed England. One morning after a raid a man stood in the street and gazed at his bomb-wrecked house. Then he said to his wife, “This morning someone came to our dugout and told me that we had lost everything. It’s a lie. Thank God I still have health and strength to carry on my job. I still have you, my dear, and the children. Thank God you are all safe. Hitler hasn’t smashed my faith in the love and the wisdom of God or my faith in the ultimate victory over wrong. I still have hope for the future. I can still call my soul my own. I am still alive and ready for action again. So I reckon that you and I ought to thank God that we saved more than we have lost. Houses and buildings may be wrecked and ruined, but you and I still hold on to the things which can never be shaken or destroyed.”
Even when it is tough to be thankful, there are things for which we can be grateful. In the midst of every situation, there is something for which we can thank God.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 11/22/2007
Yet the apostle Paul said, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). Does that mean we are to give thanks in every situation? What about circumstances where it would be unrealistic to be thankful, such as, lying on a hospital bed in severe pain.
Technically, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 does not say “For everything give thanks” but “in everything give thanks.” The idea is in every circumstance of life, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, give thanks.
Paul taught this truth by example. Listen to him when things were going well. He said, “We give thanks to God always for you all” (1 Thess.1:2). Again, he wrote, “For what thanks can we render to God for you” (1 Thess. 3:9). Now watch him when things are going wrong. In Philippi, he was arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail. The scourging was Roman, not Jewish. The Jewish limit on the number of stripes a prisoner could receive was forty stripes save one. The Romans had no such restriction. The number of lashes depended on the caprice of the jailer. Luke simply says it was “many stripes” (Acts 16:23). Paul called it “suffering” (1 Thess. 2:2). In that painful situation, Paul and Silas were “praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25).
We who know the God of abundant benefits should be constantly thanking Him in every situation. The next time you are tempted to complain, why not replace griping with gratitude? Thank Him not just when you win, but even when you seemingly lose.
During World War II, the Germans bombed England. One morning after a raid a man stood in the street and gazed at his bomb-wrecked house. Then he said to his wife, “This morning someone came to our dugout and told me that we had lost everything. It’s a lie. Thank God I still have health and strength to carry on my job. I still have you, my dear, and the children. Thank God you are all safe. Hitler hasn’t smashed my faith in the love and the wisdom of God or my faith in the ultimate victory over wrong. I still have hope for the future. I can still call my soul my own. I am still alive and ready for action again. So I reckon that you and I ought to thank God that we saved more than we have lost. Houses and buildings may be wrecked and ruined, but you and I still hold on to the things which can never be shaken or destroyed.”
Even when it is tough to be thankful, there are things for which we can be grateful. In the midst of every situation, there is something for which we can thank God.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 11/22/2007