She looked down at the baby in her arms. New born. Beautiful. A lifetime of potential. Unplanned. Unwanted. Alone. And she thanked God.
He looked down his disfigured arm to his wheelchair bound legs.Drool slithered unchecked down his cheek. Crippled and confined. Unacceptable. Unable. Alone. And he thanked God.
She looked down at the paper in her hand. The words that blasted apart her world, her dreams, her identity. She could almost hear tinkles of glass as her heart shattered into a million pieces and fell to the slate floor beneath her feet. Undesirable. Unready. Alone. And she thanked God.
He looked down at the soil spilling through his fingers to his wife’s grave below. His love, his joy, suddenly taken by something so small. Unexplained. Unexpected. Alone. And he thanked God.
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Devastated by life. Alone. Unexpected. Unwanted. Yet thanking God? It matters not the circumstances that bring us to this point. It matters that the Word of God tells us that it is God’s will for us to give thanks in everything, even this.
How can this be?
If we have salvation, there is always, always that one thing to be thankful for. Plus, whatever blessings God gives us on top of that – food, family, talents.
You may think that when life is at its most shattering that God would excuse us from being thankful. But He doesn’t. Our Loving Heavenly Father knows that by choosing to be thankful despite our grim circumstances, that the act of thankfulness will help adjust our attitude and view of the situation. This in turn will help us in the situation, to cope, to change, to heal. Thankfulness is a powerful force.
There are many stories of the power of thankfulness to help mothers accept surprise babies; of the ill learning to rejoice in their pain; of the separated, fired, rejected thankfulness getting them out of despair; of grief giving way to thankfulness of the life and love known, despite the shortness of the journey.
It may take choosing to be thankful each and every day for weeks or months on end. It may take praying those words each night in bed. It may take some time, but you will reap the rewards of thankfulness in the days ahead.
The other option is pain, grief, unforgiveness and bitterness. Not much of a contest.
I don’t know what pain or suffering you are going through today. I do know that you can choose to be thankful in the midst of it all. I know that’s tough. I’ve been there. I’ve chosen thankfulness in the suffering. It is difficult. But you can do it. And it will make a big difference, in surviving the now and in the recovering for a better future.
So go on, chose to be thankful today. You’ll be thankful you did.
What are three things you’re thankful for today? Share with us today.
I’m thankful for:
- My faith
- My family and friends
- Chocolate and potatoes
If you liked that try this one:
Gail's Angle 
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Sounds good *thumbs up*
Thanks Gail
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I have a lot to be thankful for
Rest! Family and friends,the opportunity to what I love.
Is being thankful really to answer for recovery for a bitter heart? You could be thankful for unrelated things and still be bitter about something, couldn’t you?
True. You can still be bitter about one thing and thankful for another. However, I think that if you develop a continual thankful attitude it will grow and eventually it will butt up against the bitterness and you’ll have to choose one over the other. Hopefully the thankfulness will swallow the desire for bitterness.
One of your best