Thankfulness, for the child of God, doesn’t come from a place of circumstances – it comes from a place of sheer trust. Sincere thankfulness is rooted in a deep knowledge of the God in whom we have believed. Sincere thankfulness rejoices in the mundane because it rests in the sublime.
This sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?
But God instructs His child to be thankful in all things because this is “the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me.”
All things.
Not just those things that cause our hearts to smile.
All things.
Even those things that shatter our hearts into a million pieces.
All things.
I’m learning to do this, but it’s not easy. I’m learning to rest in the knowledge that the Creator of the Universe knows me by name and nothing takes Him by surprise. I’m learning that He is for me and because He is for me, who can dare to be against me? And I’m learning that He really does love me – not just in rhetoric and timeless tradition, but He loves me with an everlasting love. From a Father’s heart.
And He loves you.
For every ounce of sorrow, He fills me with overflowing streams of joy.
When despair consumes me, He sets me free with hope.
When anger seeks to destroy me and peace evades my spirit, He breaks every chain with forgiveness and compassion – He restores my soul.
Yes, I’m learning to rest in the knowledge of who He is. And in that knowledge comes thankfulness. Deep, sincere, heartfelt thankfulness.
I want to challenge you to do the same. I won’t pretend that it’s easy, especially in the beginning, because it’s not. But I will promise you that if you will take God at His Word, trust Him with your heart and life, and thank Him in all things, you will find His peace that passes all understanding.
And when your heart expresses thankfulness in the mundane, You too will rest in the sublime.
