Day: November 23, 2016

Colossians 3:14-16, But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

That’s a pretty powerful message because things in our world is out of control.  In verse 15 it is talking about having the peace of God. It goes on to discuss how we are to be thankful and being one body. In a couple of days we will be celebrating “Thanksgiving.”

There has been some horrible things going on in our world and in our lives. When I watch the sadness and loneliness on some of the people’s face in my church, family, and strangers. I like to take pictures of nature and people. While most people, myself included enjoy Thanksgiving, there are many who  feel that they have nothing to live for.  An acquaintance was talking to be about how difficult this time of year is for her.

This friend that I have known for many years walked into their sons room to see why he was late getting to work. She and her husband went into his room and they saw their son hanging from  the ceiling. With the love of their lives died, it literally destroyed his family. They were left with anger, confusion and an overwhelming amount of grief and despair. This happened some time ago and his family tried to get through the darkest moments of their lives. I just found out the other day that she and her husband have gotten a divorce.

They are beyond numb and now they don’t have their son. For them, “Thanksgiving” is a day filled with sorry. They go about their days alone each “Thanksgiving,” and for “Christmas.”. They can’t bear the load alone. Being grateful is a place that is locked away and while they are searching for peace and joy, they are forgetting that without God, they won’t have a true sense of Thanksgiving.

There are days when I find it difficult to handle some of this worlds hardships. Lately I have had moments of uncertainty, but not about God. My uncertainties are more about the conditions of the world and our leaders. For me, when I have difficult moments and when I want to throw in the towel, I go to God even if it is something I don’t want to listen to. God and I don’t always agree on things.

God wants us to be thankful when we are going through difficult patches in our lives. When I read comments from good friends and I see the sadness in the words they post, it makes me sad to know that they have given up. What makes me really sad and I know during my quiet times with God, I am sure to lift them up in prayers. God wants us to give thanks in the hard times and the good times. We aren’t going to know what is going to happen. When we try to go through these difficult times alone, life can be a roller coaster. If we put our trust and if we depend on God, then life will work out. Even if we are going through the deepest and darkest pit, we can know peace, because God has our back.

Yesseree, God always has a plan for; 

Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that we should be, “joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will you for in Jesus Christ.” I’m not sure about you, but I find that these words are difficult, well, for me they are. I would like to add that God has a plan;

• for those who are suffering depression. A few of my friends are in a deep fog. God is there for you.
• for those who are going through cancer treatment or other medical tests.
• for my good  friend who has divorced her husband.
• for the person is may have a lot of people around them, but they are still lonely.
• for my friends who are having financial problems.
• for those who lost a child. (I have known many women who have lost their children)
• for the leaders of our country.

While it may be difficult and sometimes downright impossible, we are to give thanks. When I think about what and who I am thankful for, I find it is great reminder of the many blessings I have received, and I have a whole boatload of them. I will be writing about my list of things I am thankful for tomorrow on this blog.

With so many complaining about this or that, giving thanks puts things in perspective and makes me appreciate people better. I know many cranky and always down in the dumps kind of people who let’s life pass them by. Taking time to be thankful and counting our blessings is a great way to appreciate what we have.

I would like to end this blog with a few ideas on how to be thankful in all things. not just when everything is going peachy.

• Look around your home and on walls. If you are like me, the walls tell a story of my life and those things that are important to me. If you have pictures of your family, pets and so on, you can thank God for those memories.  When I look at the pictures on my wall, I see my mom who is with the Lord, I see my daughters, grandchildren and our pets.
• Remember the times in your life when you were going through times of crisis and you didn’t think you would make it. For myself, this is a major thing.
• If there has been a special person/persons in your life, you still have the opportunity to tell them how you turned out. God has an awesome way of putting the right person and the right time in our lives.
• Make sure you thank those who you cherish. Years ago, I made it a point to reach out to two pastors. My life was a mess and I was living in an extremely hostile situation. I found both of these pastors and what an awesome feeling it was to tell them “Thank You”.You don’t have to go in person, you can call them, visit them and if they passed away, you can visit their grave. Not only does it help you, but it could mae a huge difference to them.
• Take time to have a conversation with God. this time of the year is a great reminder that God’s love endures forever. The Lords faithfulness and love will never stop. This is also the perfect time to look ahead. I look forward to the future with the Lord when there will be no more pain, tears and fears. Jesus will bring an abundance amount of joy, peace and love. The world can’t fathom that kind of love. .

In a nutshell I would like to say that when things are going perfectly it is easy to take things for granted. The simple things are pushed aside and we forget the little things that made a major impact. When others fail us, God doesn’t. He will never take off and leave you hanging. There has been a lot of unrest in our country. Riots and declarations of hate and anger has taken my country by  storm. In the midst of all of this anger, God still loves us. God is good and loving, and for this I am thankful.