It's that time of the year again. Families will gather around the table on Thursday, and many of them will take part in a tradition of having each person say what they're thankful for. Usually, it'll be something generic - like family, friends, a home, etc. Sometimes, it might be a bit more poignant or momentous. But the guarantee will be this: it will ALWAYS be something positive.
Of course, we as Christians know that we're supposed to have deeper answers. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is an oft-quoted verse: "In everything, give thanks." Which we've always taken to mean that we should have an attitude of thankfulness, in spite of what could be bad things. But is that all Paul meant to convey as he was writing what God was inspiring him to pass along to the Thessalonians and eventually the rest of the Church?
I would say not. Why? Because Paul also wrote Ephesians. And in Ephesians 5:20, he gave a bit of insight into what our thankfulness should entail, and here's a hint - it's not just having a thankful attitude:
Did you catch the difference there? The preposition changed. And it adds a lot more context. We don't really mind when we hear that we should give thanks IN all things. That's an attitude we can try to live up to. But when we read that we should give thanks FOR everything? That's a different story.
Giving thanks FOR everything means that we have to look at the absolute worst things that have happened to us - and say to God, "Thank You." "Thank You for the awful thing that happened to me as a child that still traumatizes me." "Thank You for the time someone took advantage of me and I had no recourse for help." "Thank You for that time my loved one died, and I wasn't sure they had known Your salvation." How can we possibly give thanks FOR those things. IN those moments? Sure, I still trust God. But FOR them?
The problem is, if we say we trust God, that we trust His sovereign power, that we trust His unending and unyielding love, the "in" and the "for" can't really be separated. Because if God is in control, that means He's not only in control in the worst moments, but He's also in control of the worst moments.
The first question everyone has when I point this out is, "Why?" Why does God not only allow awful things, but sovereignly design them to happen? How can a loving God be loving while overseeing such tragedies, such heartbreak, such pain? The simple, yet usually unsatisfying, answer that I generally give is, "I don't know." I don't know the mind of God. I cannot begin to explain the complexities of His design. I cannot search His ways.
But while His thoughts are not my thoughts, and therefore I cannot know His mind, I do, however, know His heart. His heart is more full of grace and love than I could even dream of. So, when awful things are happening, what can we know is that they're not happening in spite of His plan, but ultimately because of His plan. You never know, it could be:
God is teaching us or someone in our lives (or both) something that we needed to learn, or
God is providing grace for someone else in a manner that we simply can't see, or
Maybe God is simply trying to provide for us a reminder that we are sinful people living in a sinful world, and the one thing every single person needs to know is that we both desperately need Him and that we have access to Him through the work of Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the grave
The reality is, that last one is ALWAYS part of it. Why would God ever desire us to have complete comfort in this broken world when doing that very thing would almost certainly cause us to be less desiring of, less desperate for, His perfect heaven? Why would a loving God want us to settle for the ashes, when He's got beauty in store for any and all of those who've trusted in Him?
So, no, I can't tell you the "why" behind everything. But because I know my loving God personally, I know there is a "why." Which is why Paul could so confidently instruct the Ephesians to give thanks FOR everything. Because at the very least, even if you can't find any other explanation, you know every messed up thing serves as a reminder of what God has in store for those who love Him, who have been called by Him, and who have come to Him in faith and repentance, trusting in Him alone for salvation.
And as you remember that, shock your family this Thursday when you say the thing you're thankful for is that you burned your fingers trying to get the turkey out of the oven!
To the praise of His glory!
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