A Thankful Heart

 Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I had a very wise person tell me something this weekend that struck me. She said "sometimes you should pray just to tell God 'thanks' ".

When times are tough I transform into this prayer warrior; I constantly pray for wisdom, strength, patience and peace. When life is so-so or really great, my prayers are not nearly as passionate or as constant.  We often see prayer as a time to ask for help, which it surely is, but it is also a time to tell God thanks for all the blessings He has given us.

Right now is a time in my life where I am flying high and feeling surrounded by God's love and blessings.  So, I want to consciously and thoughtfully make the effort to take the time to thank God. Without Him, I would be nothing and have nothing to be thankful for.

However, I know that there will be those days when things get tough again. I should thank God then too. Scripture says to give thanks in all circumstances. This means to thank God not only for His blessings, grace and love, but also to thank Him for the struggles and the heartache because they are also gifts from God. When times are tough, I don't understand God's purpose for the obstacles I am given. Sometimes, I even feel bitter about them. However, maybe God allows these trying times to happen so that we can grow closer to Him, or so that we can learn our own strength or for many other reasons that we cannot fully grasp. Either way, if we trust in Christ, He will always do what is best for us, even if it doesn't seem so at the moment.

So, this is just me saying thanks for all that I have been given. I could probably never say it often enough, but Thank you God.

'Tis the Season

Tonight I went to a community Christmas event. My church set up a table where we gave away free coffee and hot chocolate.  We did this to spread the word and show Christ's love. Our table was swamped- not because  people were eager to hear the word, but because we had free stuff.

I grew aggravated as I tried to tell people about our church and all they wanted to know was where the creamer was. People complained that the cocoa tasted like water. Then when the cocoa ran out, they complained that we only had coffee.  When I invited them to come worship with us, many gave me this strange, pondering look or avoided eye contact altogether like I was making them uncomfortable.

When I got home tonight, I was discouraged to say the least. Then it hit me, if I'm discouraged when I give away free coffee, how heartbroken must Christ be? He gave his life to save us from our sins. I gave away coffee. If people can ignore His selfless, powerful and infinite gift, why shouldn't they ignore my small and temporary one?

My coffee was free, but so is Christ's love. If we had to earn it, no one would be able to pay the price. That is why God sent his son: to pay it for us.

So, despite my discouragement at the lack of "thanks" I received, I find peace. This peace comes from the knowledge that Christ will continue to give whether or not we show our gratitude. I know I don't say it enough, but thanks God for the gift that keeps giving: forgiveness.