thankfulness

thankful: adj.

• : glad that something has happened or not happened, that something or someone exists, etc.

• : of, relating to, or expressing thanks

I feel like there's more to being thankful than just well, being thankful. it's more than just counting blessings or realizing how blessed you are on thanksgiving day or Christmas morning. it's more than just a "thank you" or "I'm thankful for...". the dictionary uses the words "to be glad that something has or hasn't happened". while these things are absolutely truth about thankfulness, I'm convinced that there's a deeper meaning to the word. 

what if being thankful really means to say, "thank you" for the things that have caused pain in our life? what if being thankful means to praise Jesus in the storms of our lives and not just the happy days? what if giving thanks is more than just showing gratitude and contentment when we aren't content? what if thankfulness means to be content when life isn't the way we want it to be?

hear me out. we should be thankful for the good things, the happy, the joyful and the blessings. we should thank God daily for the things he has given us- friends, family, a roof over our head, more than one outfit choice, food in our bellies every day, money in our wallets (some more than others)- we should let our friends and family know how thankful we are to have them in our lives, we should be in constant thanksgiving. 

but notice how easy it is to be thankful for your best friend when they bring you Starbucks to school. or when they pick up the phone at 11 o'clock at night because you have some crazy story to tell them. or when they come over to your house to watch movies and have deep conversations about life... but are you still thankful for your best friend when they ditch the plans you guys had for better ones? or when they told someone that one thing they swore they'd never tell? or when they bring up something that happened in 2012? soon, your "thanks for being my best friend" is more of a "thanks for being the worst friend ever". 

or notice how easy it is to thank Jesus for the abundant amounts of blessings he's given you. for protecting you and your family. for answering your prayers just how you wanted. it's easy being grateful when everything is going your way. when life is good. when your family is healthy. when money is in the bank. when your grades are good. when your friends have your back. but just when the table turns and the credit card declines, your parents get a divorce, your best friend breaks your trust, you have to move again, your grades start to drop,... all those things you were thankful for yesterday- a secure home, a happy family, a best friend, money, good grades.. you're not so thankful for anymore. in fact, your thankful heart turns bitter and you start to question if God is even there. you're confused. you feel empty, lost, hopeless. thankful is the last thing you are right now.

well, what if thankful is a word we learn to use when we aren't conent with our lives? when we're in the midst of chaos and confusion. when we're caught deep in the valley. 

listen to Paul's response to suffering:

Philippians 4:10-13 //

10 "I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

during his imprisonment, Paul still found a way to be thankful. He was reminded that he has a God who has all the days of his life planned out. that works everyrhing for HIS good. that loves him immensely and knows what's best for him. that he serves a God who is constant always. through the days of plenty and the days of need. Paul learned that being thankful was more than just giving thanks during the good time and being thankful for the good things but being thankful when life is hard because God is in control and there's always something to be thankful for.

today I am thankful for a God who knows what he's doing and reminds me that there are so many things to be thankful for, even when I don't see it.