Will I Still Be Thankful?

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is the one day a year when we are supposed to remember all the things we are thankful for. If you aren't a Christian, it is simply a tradition. Hopefully you get the day off. You eat a lot of good foods. Take a nap when the tryptophan kicks in. Maybe watch the parade and football games. Have a relaxing day. 

But if you are a Christian, you reach deeper than all that. You remember all those things that God has blessed you with in this year. Bills were paid. Needs are covered. Kids are healthy. Husband is happy and well. Didn't burn the meal. All this falls second to the thankfulness we feel that we are saved, however. We have an eternal future. 

I was on cloud nine Thanksgiving morning. Things hadn't been going the best leading up to Thanksgiving, but the day itself was working out well enough. The meal was amazing. The migraine stayed in the background. We even ran food to an elderly friend, and let another friends dogs out while they are on a mission trip. Since I was getting tired, I thought a nap was in order. My alarm went off, and I didn't want to get up. But that was okay. I have kids. And one of them came to wake us up. The sink was spraying water again. Welp... Guess it thought our leaking and broke down washing machine was not enough of a headache for me. 

Like one of my sons said, "At least it waited until we had finished washing all the dishes." Yes, at least there was that. My head was spinning. Stay thankful through all this trouble. It isn't always easy. My husband reminds me often that we are to write things in pencil. Be flexible to what God has coming our way.  

1 Thessalonians 5:18 has been a good reminder. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." God uses these trials to build up our dependence on Him. To seek His guidance and see what He is trying to teach us. But if you back up 2 verses, you see even more that needs to be kept with verse 18. We are to "Rejoice evermore" and "Pray without ceasing". All the while knowing that we also need to give thanks through it all. Not that we should have the attitude of "Thank you, God that everything is falling apart and I feel like a boat tossed in the wave right now! Hallelujah that my life is upside down!" That isn't what I'm saying. More like this attitude... "Thank you, Lord for the patience and peace that only you can give me right now. I don't know what Your plan is, but I know You have one. And things will work out. What do You want me to learn in this hard time?" See the difference? Saying it though, and actually doing it... yeah, two different things. 

In the end, we got one of the problems fixed. It required buying a new faucet for the kitchen sink, but God provided. My washing machine has sent me back to the pioneer days for some of our laundry, but I know it will all be fixed one day and I will rely on God to grant me the patience and strength until then. I think that is what this is about for now. How long will I continue to be thankful? And will I patiently wait?