Sunday, January 14, 2018

Being Thankful

Just two weeks into the new year and already its newness is wearing thin. We continue to deal with the same old things: the struggles, the sorrows, the difficulties of every day life in this broken world.

Don't get me wrong- I know there are good things, too. Some of us are in good relationships. We have good jobs, or lovely homes, or families that we love, who love us back. But, even if we have those things (and not everyone does), we are still faced with the truth that life is not easy in this world. Living in these difficult times can darken our thoughts, even if we believe, as I do, that God is in control and that, one day, all will be set right. Yet, we still have to live in the here and now, when things are not right. And that can be overwhelming and discouraging. But we have not been left without hope. God has given us tools to help us navigate the storms of this life. One of those tools is thankfulness.

In I Thessalonians 5:18, Paul tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances" (NIV). I don't think he means by this that we need to feel thankful all the time, or about all the things that happen to us. Rather, this is about our attitude. We can approach life with an attitude of thankfulness, whatever is going on around us, inside of us, or in the world at large. Choosing  an attitude of thankfulness will not necessarily change our feelings, but it may change the way we live and act.

And so, as I dust off This Life is an Adventure, after a very long hiatus, I will be focusing on being thankful.  There are always challenges to be faced, and I am sure that will be no different for most of us in 2018. A little more thankfulness can't hurt.