Friday, October 18

{Day 17} Thankful for Everything (Even the Ugly Parts) - Ephesians 5:20



The word thankful is a common one (or at least I hope it is) in our everyday language.

"Man, I'm so thankful it's not raining today."

"You are a wonderful daughter. I'm thankful for you. "

It is good and right to be thankful.





We're usually thankful for the obvious stuff. (And that's good too.)

A pay raise. A roof over our heads. Churches we love. Children. Chocolate. A sunny day.

But, are we thankful too for the ugly stuff in our lives? Should we be?

A friend of mine was in a heartbreaking situation some time ago. Her whole world was flipped upside down and then inside out. In the middle of this great trial, we would regularly talk it all out. In our conversations, we waded through the wreckage to see if anything was salvageable. At one point we got on the topic of thankfulness.

She couldn't imagine what there was to be thankful for. At all. It looked bleak. The future was uncertain. And the word thankful certainly wasn't rolling off her tongue.

I suggested that she look for things to be thankful for in the midst of this circumstance. Not be thankful for the whole situation, but be looking for the things to be thankful for in and around it.

That seemed to sit well with her. But it didn't sit well with me. It has wrecked me for months.

Should we be thankful for everything? I mean, everything?

Ephesians 5:20

20   ... giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ...


I yanked this verse (mid-paragraph) out of Ephesians 5, which is talking about how the beloved children of God are to act.

God isn't say here that we are to be thankful for the good and some of the inconvenient. He's saying everything. E V E R Y T H I N G. Oh, that's so humbling. And so difficult.

The only way I can reconcile all of this is that we're thankful for the trials because of the good we know He is working on our behalf through our circumstances.

Are we thankful for broken legs in car crashes?
Or house fires that take our homes?

It's a tricky bit. But if I know God, and I'm pleased to say I do, I'd say He meant what he said.

Give thanks always and for everything.

I'd love for you to join in the conversation today (and everyday). Tell me, what does this verse speak to you?

How does this play out in your lives?



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