Thanks and giving are two concepts that should be easy for any Christian to understand, right? We give thanks to God our Father for all the wonderful blessings in our lives, but how do we react when things are not going as well? Are we still thankful? Are we still willing to give to others so they can see the love of Jesus?
When l was asked to write this blog, l was all ready to put what I had to say on the page and talk about the holiday season and why everyone should give from their hearts and blah blah blah, and God said, “No, that is not what I want you to say. I want to speak to the women who feel broken and lost, who are having a hard time in this season being grateful and giving from their hearts, just like you used to be.”
A couple of years ago, Chris and I were really struggling financially, and we were in a place where being thankful for what we had was the last thing on our minds. We had a two-year-old, and we wanted to do all the fun things with him, but unfortunately, our bank account said, “Think again.” We decided to get creative with our “dates” out with Connor. We would have a backyard cookout, picnics in the park, anything that would make a memory and didn’t cost a dime. One Saturday, we decided it was a beautiful day to go to the park and have a picnic and let Connor feed the ducks. As we were discussing what to eat and how the price of how much everything had gone up, we found our way to Popeye’s, again, having a picky two-year-old that would only eat chicken and mac and cheese. The chicken was great, but the price was ridiculous. Chris and I continued to complain after we paid for our meal and headed to the park. Did God not provide? Should we have been thankful that we had the money to get ourselves something good to eat? Yes, but we were not.
At the park, we enjoyed our lunch, and we had enough biscuits left to feed the gophers and ducks. It was a beautiful afternoon. As we walked down the sidewalk, I noticed an older gentleman digging in the trash for our leftover food. Up until this point in my life I had been very sheltered and had never seen a homeless person, let alone someone digging in the trash for food. My heart was broken and instantly I heard a soft, still voice say, “Have I not provided for you and for him?” As a family, we walked over to the gentleman, gave him the box containing our extra food and some cash, and let him know that God loved him and was watching over him.
As we were walking back to the car, I was so upset with myself for not being thankful for the simple things that we take for granted in our lives. We had the money to pay our bills, go out to eat, take our kid to do something fun. We were not the Joneses, but we were comfortable, and yet, we were still complaining that it was not enough.
How do we remember to give thanks to God and give from our hearts when we are in a season of lack or sorrow? We pray to our Father, who knows our hearts and our situations, with humility and grace and have faith that He works all things out for good. Reflect on the Father and His amazing love for you and the many times He has walked with you through the valleys and climbed to the top of the mountain with you.
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” 1 Chronicles 6:34
Give Him thanks every day! Not just for all the good things in your life, but for the trials and tribulations as well, because that is how we become closer to HIM! Seek Him, trust Him, for He loves you. Jesus is the ultimate proof of how much He loves us. So, remember, even when we are broken and bruised, we always have a reason to be thankful and give thanks from the bottom of our hearts.
We want to thank Randi Cason for sharing this post.
Women's Ministry 