Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6, 7 NKJV) Because this month is November, thanksgiving is the word of choice for most people. Visions of the upcoming feast fills our minds and plans for gatherings begin. And, of course, media fills with people and things for which we are thankful. Daily I read posts of thankfulness on FB, but mostly writers are thankful for all the good in their lives. Rarely, do any of us look at Gods grace in tough times as our source of thanksgiving. Scarcely, do we look at the strength gained from our fights in life or our strengthened relationship with Him because of them. Maybe we should stop and take a lesson from Paul. From a Philippian jail. Paul gave invaluable spiritual wisdom. We dont need to be anxious for anything, but we should give everything to God in prayer, intense prayer, with THANKSGIVING. Is Paul saying we can speak thanks to God with our expression of our potential anxieties in prayer? YES! When we do, Gods peace floods our hearts in a whole new way. Even though he was in jail, Paul believed that somehow good was being accomplished which he declares in Philippians 1:12. He saw his imprisonment as an opportunity for the Gospel to be spread. He found a way to see good in adversity which develops a thankful heart. As I reflected on Pauls wisdom, I started thinking of things in my life for which I could be thankful, unusual things. For example, hearing-impaired students told me I accommodated them better than any other teacher when I was still in the classroom. Why did I do that? I understood their disability because of Morgans hearing loss. On that level, I can be thankful for my struggles with Morgans hearing. It gave me the ability to help others in a whole new way. I believe I will challenge myself this November to look for hidden things for which I can be thankful. They are underneath every struggle I face or have ever faced. Not to say that I am not thankful for all my blessings today, but I am choosing to be thankful for strength gained, lessons learned, and Gods grace realized through all my hard times. This attitude, which Paul modeled for us so well, opens the door for Gods peace, which is beyond understanding, to protect our hearts. Today I give thanks to a a God who brings beauty to my life in the midst of struggle. How about you?
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 14:34:47 +0000
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