Giving Thanks No Matter What

The past week has brought out both the best and the worst of Americans.  Many, including Christians, have chosen to continue the political dialogue after the election is over – and not always in the kindest way.  Others have continued the discussion with a focus on healing and hope.  But for me it’s time to move on and change my thoughts to other topics – because, regardless of who won the election, Thanksgiving is only 10 days away!

Thanksgiving is a down-played, if not forgotten, holiday; and yet, as Christians, it should be one of our most cherished.  The Bible is full of passages that call us to be thankful to God.  Yet it seems that in the 21^st century this is a lost art.  Humans are so self-centered that we find it difficult to focus on God – much less approach him with thankfulness.  Romans 1:21 paints this scenario: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened.” 

For some reason, I’ve never liked the Thanksgiving tradition of taking turns around the table to say something we’re thankful for.  I guess it always seemed contrived rather than truly representing heartfelt gratitude.  Maybe that’s because our answers usually involve being thankful for something that is selfish – something I have (like freedom, family, friends, etc.) that makes my life better than someone else’s – or something that reveals that my thankfulness is tied to my circumstances.  These don’t seem to fully embrace the concept of gratitude that we are to have deep within us every day – which is based on things that are bigger than ourselves or events around us.  In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we are to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

With that in mind, I thought it would be good to list a few things that we can and should ALWAYS be thankful for – because they are ALWAYS true no matter what happens around us.  This Thanksgiving, I choose to focus on these unchanging and amazing truths:

·      God is sovereign and in control of everything (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)

·      God is good (all the time) and his love and faithfulness endure forever (Psalm 100:5)

·      We have God’s written Word and his Spirit to guide us (2 Timothy 3:16 & John 16:13)

·      God became Emmanuel – God with us – and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:23 & John 1:14)

·      With his death and resurrection, Jesus secured victory over Satan and sin and all ways of the world that are contrary to his divine nature (1 Corinthians 15:57 & 1 John 5:4)

·      God has given us the free gift of eternal salvation through his grace alone and has prepared work for us to do for him (Ephesians 2:8-9)

·      We have received a kingdom that can never be shaken and will last forever (Hebrews 12:28)

·      I am personally known by God (Psalm 139) and can know him personally as well (1 John 5:20)

These are just a few things that we can be thankful for every day.  No matter what else is happening to us or around us, these things will always be true.  With these things to focus on, do my circumstances or the world around me really matter?  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Usefulness of Brokenness

I like to be strong and have it all together.  I don’t like to be weak and broken.  And maybe even more to the point, I like to appear strong and together and not to appear weak and broken.  Can anyone else relate?  Somehow we have the idea that broken things are no longer useful.

But God has been reminding me lately of a truth I learned many years ago: in his perfect economy, weak and broken people are just as valuable and useful as strong, together people.  In fact, the humility that can come from brokenness makes them even more useful for God’s purposes.

When we experience brokenness or difficult times, 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us that God’s grace is sufficient for us.  For that, we are grateful.  But we don’t love the second half of that verse, which goes on to tell us that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.  We want God’s grace, but we don’t want to be weak.  However, we cannot experience the sufficiency of God’s grace without the brokenness.

My own experiences with brokenness have taught me that God doesn’t waste pain.  When he allows it in our lives, we can be sure he has a purpose for the future as well as the present.  I have found that one of my greatest ways of ministering to others has come from the brokenness in my past.  The very things I want to hide and keep others from knowing are the stories God has used the most to speak truth into others’ lives.  But only if I’m willing to trust God and be transparent.

Raised to be proud and private, this has been a journey for me.  But I have discovered that, regardless of how broken I might feel, I am still whole and complete in God’s sight.  And, when I am willing, God can use me – not despite my brokenness, but because of it.  

Over twenty years ago, I sang a song in church designed to integrate with the sermon.  I understand its words today better than I did when I sang it then.  The song is “Strength to be Weak” by Pam Mark Hall, and here’s a couple lines from it:

I want people to see that You are working in me

And that You’re worth getting to know.

What the world needs to see are real people

Not afraid to face what is true.

And as our struggles unfold and our story is told

We discover our need for You.

Lord, give me the strength to be weak

Maybe others will see You’re working in me

So give me the strength to be weak.