During this past Sunday’s service the congregation was encouraged to write what they were thankful for on a paper leaf and then hang it on a tree at the front of the sanctuary. Nice idea. As I was hanging my leaf, I caught what was written on one of the leaves: “For Everything”. It’s a nice sentiment, but is it true? Or does “for everything” really mean “for all the good things only?” I’m sure this person is thankful for the good things whether good health, good job, good home, good family, etc. Is this person thankful also for the bad things such as illness, job loss, financial problems, family problems? Has this person never experienced these bad things so that he/she could say “For everything”? Or has s/he gone through difficult times and still believes “for everything” sums up his/her gratefulness? Obviously, it is not wrong to be thankful for the good things in your life. Quite the opposite. Any Christian who wasn’t thankful for the good things would be rather amazingly obtuse regarding from where all the good things actually come.
Are people really thankful for being cut off in traffic, injuries, being bad-mouthed behind one’s back, etc.? We are, however, in no position to know the consequences or final outcomes of such occurrences. We would, in fact, need to be close to omniscient to know how all the bad things in life play out. It is perfectly reasonable to think that God has a purpose in all of these sorts of things, just as in the case of Joseph’s experience in Egypt: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Perhaps these are tests to help one become more patient and self-controlled. In that case these would be things to be thankful for. Most people will admit that personal growth occurs more readily in the midst of trials than when life is easy.
I guess I need to keep in tension the fact that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father of the heavenly lights” and that “the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
This raises an important question for myself: Am I a thankful person? I’ve got my share of problems. Have these problems made me a better person? Well, I hope God grades on a curve. In any case, I guess I agree with that particular leaf scribbler. Thank God for everything (even the stuff I think I could do without).
4 comments:
We were just talking about this in our Bible Study on Thursday night - how trials are often, if not always, meant to produce growth in us. Indeed, though I've lead a pretty cush life with very few trials, when I look back on the things that I have endured, I can see how I've become a better person because of them. I heard this quote:
"I thank thee, Lord, a thousand times for the roses. Help me also to thank Thee for the thorns."
I so often forget to thank God for the trials. But if God really does "work everything together for good for those who love Him", then it makes sense why we are commanded to "never complain or argue". Why should we complain about what is ultimately meant for our good?
Because it hurts like crazy! But you're right. People who have lived in or visited poor countries like Somalia or Mali often are taken aback by the amount of complaining in affluent countries like Canada.
And how's ol' Ilial Tibial? He can be such a pain in the you know what. I drove to UBC for nearly 4 years without it occurring to me that I could have run. Think of all that gas money I could have saved (kicking myself).
And the Thursday night bible study. They're the ones who jumped out of the plane and survived to tell the tale? One of the things people should be more thankful for is the privilege of keeping both feet on the ground (for free!)
Haha...yep...that's why I took up running - to save on fuel. $1.09 per litre? Why would I pay that when I have two feet? That, and it means I can eat anything I want! :)
And the Thursday night crowd are the skydivers, and the cliff scalers, and pretty much if you can imagine something crazy...they're it. But it's beginning to become contagious.
It's becoming contagious you say? Has it gone airborne, I wonder? I probably should stay away from them then. I'm already sick (in the head, that is). No need to induce nausea and vomitting unnecessarily.
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