It is always easier to thank God when...
We have enough money in the bank and the bills are all paid.
Our kids are listening and obeying.
We just received a raise at work or congratulations from our boss on a job well done.
Our marriage is clicking and we are feeling close to our spouse.
Algebra makes sense and we are cruising with a strong A.
Our health is good and we sleep well at night.
Our car is running fine and looking sharp.
Our weight is under control and getting up to exercise is fun.
The doctor gives us a clean bill of health.
We get an unexpected influx of cash.
It takes very little work to thank God for these kinds of things. As a matter of fact, we are much quicker to thank God in these times.
It's not so easy to thank God when...
We have too much month left for the money we have.
We are unable to make house payments because of a balloon payment in our loan.
The car won't start and the bill to fix it is over $1,000.
Our spouse doesn't seem to listen to us and we are disagreeing.
Our kids don't do what we ask, whine and complain about everything.
We can't seem to fall asleep at night and have gotten just a few hours of sleep each night.
We put on pounds because our hectic lifestyle leads us to eat too much junk food.
The doctors says we may have a tumor.
Our tooth cracks and we have to get it repaired.
We lose our job because of cutbacks.
We lose our medical insurance because of the laws passed by our government.
Yet, this is when we need to thank God the most. James 1 reminds us to.."Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." This kind of mindset turns Thanksgiving upside down. We thank God when things aren't going the way we want them to go. Difficult circumstances do not mean God has abandoned us. They simply mean that God has a plan which is different and BETTER than ours. So take time this week to thank God for the trials, pains and struggles in your life rather than the just the joys.
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