GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Yesterday, I read a post on my friend Becky's blog about a little girl and baby boy that have really touched my heart. I can't stop thinking about little Emma, baby Sam (click on the name to read about their stories) and the impact they have had on so many people during their short time on this earth. As of today, both families are grieving the loss of these two special blessings yet rejoicing that the Heavenly Father is now holding them.


I can't help but to grieve and cry for the loss but at the same time we are called to "be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thes 5:16-18 How do you do that????



Since hearing Dave Bartlett (one of our pastors) say that there is "always much to celebrate", I searched for a verse that would hold this truth for me. And, I Thes 5:16 is the verse I found that I am trying to wrap myself around. How do you give thanks in ALL circumstances???


This is what I am learning....
Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not alter due to our circumstances or feelings. Obeying these three commands - be joyful, pray continually, and give thanks - often go against our natural inclinations. But, we can build these into our character by acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us and being determined to obey Him fully. We should not thank God FOR everything that happens to us, but IN everything. The hard things of this world do not come from God...it comes from the sin that entered this world because of man. But, when difficult circumstances arise, we can still be thankful for God's presence and for the good that He will accomplish through the trials we face.

Again, I ask the question....HOW? In the middle of a crisis - the loss of a child, learning of cancer in your body, losing a job, a house fire that destroys all of your possessions - how do you drop to your knees and give thanks? I have not found a quick and simple, step by step answer to this question. But what I do know is this...

Romans 8:28 says "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". Those who are "called" are those the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ as their Savior. These people have a new perspective, a new mind-set on life. They trust God, not life's treasure; they look for their security in Heaven, not on earth; they learn to accept, not resent, pain because God is with them.

My prayer is that the next time we face any trials in life...see them as opportunities to turn to God for strength. We will find a God who only desires to show His love and compassion to us. If we trust Him in pain, grief, confusion, and all other hardships, we will win the victory of doubt (one of Satan's greatest footholds in our life). Make God the foundation. Then we can never be separated from His love!

Thank you Emma and Sam for allowing God's glory to shine through your short, but precious little lives. Thank you for reminding me to hold my girls as tight as I can for the time God allows me to be blessed by them. Thank you for showing me that the pain I go through while waiting to hold this little baby of ours is worth every minute just to see this little miracle God has created within me. I thank your families for demonstrating the strength God provides by allowing Him into the hurt. Thank you for awakening the awareness that IN all circumstances we are to give thanks to HIM!

I am grieving with your families..."Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted". Matthew 5:4...and giving thanks for you and what God is doing through your stories! God is good!