Thankfulness

                “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Th 5:18.  I have had this verse stirring in my heart for some time now.  It is probably because the Lord has been teaching me some things about being thankful in the midst of some “stuff” that has been going on in my life.  It is easy to be thankful when things are going well.  It is when we have opportunities to complain that our obedience to His word gets tested. 

                Recently I had a situation in my personal life where things had an opportunity to get very ugly.  I was angry, I was frustrated, and most of all, I wanted answers.  I needed action!  I was all set to start making phone calls and sending emails.  I was going to be a thorn in someone’s side until I got what I wanted.  Then I took a step back and inquired of the Lord.  His direction?  Do nothing.  What?  Nothing?  Lord, you created me to be a “doer” and you’re asking me to do nothing? 

                That was exactly what He was asking me to do.  As I left my prayer time with my new directive, I felt impressed to show my thankfulness to the five people involved in the situation.  I wrote out thank you notes to each of them, sent them off, and then did exactly what the Lord had told me to do.  Nothing.

                For about a month nothing changed.  Then one day I got a phone call.  The mountain had moved.  The awesome thing was that it was done in a way that only the Lord could have orchestrated.  I got exactly what I wanted, and I walked away with all five of my relationships intact.  Because the person who called me actually wanted the same thing I did all along, I was able to share with him how God had come through for me. 

                When I look back on the situation now, I can see how differently things could have been had I not taken the time to inquire of the Lord, follow His direction, and be thankful toward those five individuals.  Being able to be thankful in the midst of the storm really allowed me to put my full trust in the Lord to change the situation around for my good, and it allowed me to give Him the glory when He came through for me. 

                I think about the Israelites and what happened to them when they complained about the giants in the Promised Land.  Those giants needed to move, but rather than seeking the Lord about how to move them, they complained, and because of it, they were denied the very thing they had been after since they exited Egypt.  What if I had started complaining like they did and started trying to move the mountain on my own?  It could have been a huge disaster, but instead it turned into a victory!  “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Co 15:57  No matter your situation, everyone has something to be thankful for.  Start thanking the Lord for the blessings He has already given you, and see if those mountains don’t start moving!

Obedience

                December 30, 2011.   That is the date I had set aside some time to pray over my specific goals for the year 2012.  As I prayed over my goals for self-improvement, I clearly received three specific directions: quit drinking coffee, only decaf tea, and give up sugar.  Wow!  Talk about difficult!  For a short time, I did attempt to cut back on coffee, and I started using only creamer, but then life happened.  We took in two small foster girls who didn’t sleep well, and life got hectic.  I had all the excuses to give up.  “You understand, right Lord? I mean, you didn’t really know all this was going to happen when you gave me those directions, and anyway…I did ok for a while.  This was probably just a short term goal.”  Finally, I forgot He had even given me the directions.

                Fast forward a year…I started having these weird health issues.  Random parts of my body would swell and break out in hives with no warning, and it seemed, no rhyme or reason.  At first I thought it was a food allergy, but there didn’t seem to be any food that was common to the reactions.  Then I thought it might be certain groups of foods, so I cut those out.  That didn’t help either.  I thought for a while that it was maybe NSAID medications, but then it happened when I took acetaminophen as well.  When it was all said and done, I found that I was allergic to ibuprophen, acetaminophen, Aleve, and several antacids including Tums and Zantac.  Each medication caused a different reaction, and they were all medications I had taken in the past with no problem.  This left me with no way to manage any symptoms of illness when they did happen unless I did it naturally.  Sometimes I got relief, other times not.

                Early in 2014, through a series of events I was led to research a specific health issue that I had never heard of.  I love Psalm 143:8 that says, “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk…”  I pray that particular verse over myself often.  That is exactly what happened, because there is no other way I would have figured out what was wrong with me.  The treatment for the condition?  No sugar.  No caffeine. 

                I have to admit I was really messed up when I learned all this.  The first Sunday after I completely gave up sugar for good, we took communion.  I really struggled with the fact that I couldn’t partake because there was sugar in the elements.  I remembered reading one particular article about my treatment that said something as small as a raisin could cause a reaction.  Well, it wasn’t a raisin, but the juice was made from grapes!  It was during that time that I was reminded of those goals that He had given me two years earlier, before my allergic reactions started and before things had gone badly for me health wise.  I began to beat myself up for my lack of obedience, and the “what if” questions started.  I wondered if many of my symptoms could have been avoided if I had just listened.

                The thing about directions from the Lord is that they are always for a reason.  I didn’t see back in 2011 the issues I had coming, but the Lord did.  It was hard, so I didn’t do it.  I continued sowing bad health, and that is what I reaped.  Thank God, I am believing that as I carry out my treatment, He will cause it to be successful and that I will be completely healed, but how much of this could have been avoided with my obedience?  The Word says, “If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land.” (Isaiah 1:19)  For a while there, I didn’t feel as if I was eating anything good!

                I’m thankful that through my struggles I have been able to encourage others to begin making healthier choices as well.  I love what Joseph said to his brothers, the ones who sold him into slavery, “…God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”  (Genesis 50:20)  God is SO good that He can even turn our disobedience around for good.  

                If you have been struggling with a specific direction from the Lord, whether easy or difficult, let me encourage you today: DO IT!  You might find out why He is giving the direction, or you might not ever find out why.  Regardless of the reason, it is always completely and totally motivated by His love for you.   When you mess up, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)  Pick yourself up, ask for forgiveness, and keep on going.  Remember, His grace is sufficient for you, for His strength is made perfect in weakness!