Thankfulness opens the door
to my presence. (Jesus Calling)
Thankfulness.
Thankfulness is built on a
substructure of trust. (Jesus Calling)
Thankfulness. Trust. Partners in faith.
Some days it’s easy to be thankful. Some days the sun is
shines and the day’s road is wide and straight and clear. On days like this, I’m
like a child skipping through a field of bright-faced flowers, stopping to
admire some of the more showy blooms, automatically breathing up gratitude and
praise.
Great. Super. Good for me.
Good for me?
On my own, I can only muster up thankfulness on the bright,
happy days. Because on my own, my thankfulness is contingent upon my circumstances.
When my circumstances are effortless and good, thankfulness comes easily. That
is if, in my tra-la-la tripping along, I can get my focus off myself long
enough to remember to be thankful.
On my own, I’m toast.
Good for me? Truth
is, I don’t even know what’s good for me. I’m imagining what my life would be
like today if I had been allowed to direct my own path and choose the
circumstances that in that moment
would have made thankfulness the easiest. And I’m horrified. Try it. You’ll be
scared straight.
“There is a way that appears to be right, but
in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Yep,
that pretty much sums it up. That’s me left to my own devices, manufacturing
thankfulness out of my own strength.
I can’t be trusted. The circumstances that have made the
most difference in my life – those things that have strengthened my faith,
brought me to my knees and driven me closer and closer to God – given a choice
in that moment, I probably wouldn’t have chosen them.
I’m so glad He did. He knew what I need, even if it’s not
what I wanted. He knew what would shake me up, form my character, challenge me,
grow me and bring me peace. I may not have liked it at the time. It may not have
made sense just then. But it. Was. Best.
I can’t be trusted. But GOD can.
Thankfulness. Trust. Partners in faith.
The partnership makes sense now.
I can be thankful, truly thankful, because I trust Him. In
the good things. In the bad things. In the things that are hard and don’t make
sense. They make sense to Him. His way is what’s best for me. “He guides the humble in what is right and
teaches them his way” (Psalm 25:9).
And you know what? Those hard things, the circumstances that
have made the most difference in my life? Today I am the most thankful for them. Even
though it was hard. Even though it hurt. Even though it didn’t make sense. Oh, I’m
thankful for the easy times, the happy times, the clear and sunny days. But I’m
the most thankful for the others.
The only way that’s possible – the only way I can be the most thankful for the hardest
things – TRUST. If I don’t trust that God knows what’s best for me, when hard
times come, I will fall apart. No question. I will fight and cuss and doubt and
waver and drag everyone else around me down with me. Good times, right?
Oh, I might fight and cuss and doubt and waver anyway. Just
a little (or even a lot). But if I’m doing it from a place of trust in God, I’m
not fighting Him. I’m fighting me. Instead of tearing apart and killing my
relationship with God out of mistrust and fear, I’m tearing apart and killing
my self-ness, putting myself, with God’s help, in my proper place.
Get out the way, Christa! Praise God, I can be thankful,
because He is trustworthy.
Need help getting started? This article based on Psalm 33 is
great! “But before we jump on the thanksgiving
bandwagon, we need to realize that genuine thankfulness is inextricably bound
up with trust. We will never truly thank God until we first truly trust Him. We
will not be grateful to God for all that we have until we first recognize that
we’re dependent on Him for all that we have.” Check it out!
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