Always and for Everything

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

It’s easy to give thanks when things are going good.

I remember exiting my car in the parking lot of a nearby store and finding $60 on the ground. I was so grateful for my small windfall of money that I wasted no time in acknowledging it was from God and giving Him thanks.

Yet, during another time when I when I took my car in for repairs and discovered it would take $500 to fix ($500 I didn’t have), the thought of giving thanks never even entered my mind.  To me, it was a hardship and inconvenience and definitely not something to be thankful for.

We are quick to give thanks when we find a front row parking spot, but not so much when we have to walk half way across the parking lot in the rain.

We shout thanks from the rooftop when someone we care about gets a good report from doctors, but when we get news of a bad report, we get discouraged and question God.

We stand up and give a testimony of God’s faithfulness when we get that promotion at work, but we lose our job and ask why a loving God would allow such a thing to happen.

You get my point.

Isn’t God on the throne all the time, in all situations?  Isn’t His love for me the same during times of plenty, as well as during times of difficulty and challenge?

God loves to bless and give us the desires of our heart, but if that’s the only time we give thanks, then we come to appreciate the gift and not the giver.  Our happiness becomes dependent on our external circumstances, instead of an internal assurance that God is in control.

But, when we give thanks in a difficult situation, we shift the focus on God instead of our circumstances.

If you are in the midst of a trying time, choose to give thanks to God. It will give you the strength to endure the season you’re in and fill your heart with incredible peace.