Got Thanks?

I raked my hands through my hair, eyes burning with a buildup of tears as I glared at the words mocking me from my laptop screen. I’d spent far too long on this one measly little paragraph, trying to relay with words the sugarplum visions dancing in my head, but now I had to stop so I could pick up my kids from school—and my sentences were still a mess. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my pocketbook and keys and stormed to the car. No sooner had I pulled out of the driveway than all my frustrations began pouring out of me in a venting session to God, over one. Simple. Paragraph! Why had writing become so difficult?

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. I don’t know about the customs in your family, but when I was growing up, after stuffing our bellies with delicious food, my extended family and I would go around the table and share the things for which we were thankful. Blessings we had received that year; good things that had happened to us; needs that were met.

Typically, when we think about giving thanks, it’s usually for something positive in our lives. But how many of us have thanked God for the negative things that have happened or with which we’re dealing?

That day in the car, a thankful heart was the furthest thing from my mind.

Ephesians 5:19b-20 tells us, “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In Colossians 3:17, we read, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

And in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” [all bold font mine]

What do these verses have in common? The command to give thanks in every situation. Sigh.

For thirty years, my father-in-law suffered horrible, debilitating migraines, enduring an average of seventy-five a year (his neurologist had him keep track). He would plead with the Lord for relief, but relief never came. One day, a man in his support group (my FIL was the pastor of a church back then) asked him, “Have you ever thanked God for your migraines?”

“You’re crazy if you think I would ever do that,” my FIL replied.

But the man encouraged him to give it a try, so my FIL said, “Okay, I’ll do it, but I’ll only speak the words. I won’t mean them.” Even so, as my FIL walked to his Blazer after that meeting, a huge burden seemed to fall off his shoulders.

He did begin to thank God for those migraines, grudgingly at first, and then with more genuine feeling as time went on. To his shock and delight, over the next 3-4 months, the migraines decreased in severity and occurrence, and by the end of the year…they were gone.

That was almost twenty years ago now, and he hasn’t had another episode.

My FIL’s story came back to me that afternoon as I drove the few minutes to my kids’ school following my attempts to create the perfect paragraph. It stopped me mid-rant and compelled me to change my tune—or at least my words—and I began thanking God for the troubles I was having with my writing (spoken with heartfelt sarcasm). By the time I pulled into the parking lot, I had my smartphone out and was dictating words God had just given me for that difficult paragraph. What had previously taken close to an hour to write and rewrite and rework and delete and rewrite took mere seconds to complete.

Coincidence?

Not a chance.

And I want to emphasize the fact I’d started out my “thanksgiving” with sarcasm. This wasn’t some humble, gracious child smiling up at her Father with ooey-gooey feelings of love. This was a bratty kid, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, doing what she knew was right solely out of obedience…and her Father crouched down beside her anyway, wrapped His arms around her, and loved her in her unlovable moment.

Will He always respond quickly to something that frustrates or angers or saddens us? Will He always relieve us of our negative afflictions? Not always. As far as we know, He didn’t relieve Paul of the “thorn” in his side (2 Corinthians 12:7b-10). But Romans 8:28 tells us that for those of us who love God, He causes everything to work together for our eventual good, so we can know that if He doesn’t take away whatever hurt we’re experiencing, there’s a beneficial reason for it (maybe for our spiritual growth, or our emotional growth, or growth in someone whose life we touch through our trials, etc.), and we need to trust Him in the pain and thank Him for His goodness. If nothing else, it will change our attitudes, and that’s always a good thing.

Since that afternoon, I’ve tried to make a point of first thanking God for my writing woes, rather than launching myself into the Sullen Sinkhole or throwing an elaborate Pity Party. He doesn’t always respond immediately or in the way I was hoping, but He does always respond. 🙂

How about you? What are some marvelous things you’re thankful for this year? And then…what are some not-so-fun things for which you could give thanks? Feel free to share in the comments below, or dust off that journal and pen some thoughts privately. It’s humbling and mind-boggling to see how much we can give thanks for, isn’t it?