Giving Thanks Comes Before Joy

Thanksgiving has taken on a whole new meaning for me this year. My eyes have been opened to God's goodness and my heart is full of gratitude for the wonderful things He has done in life. I can't help but notice this holiday season that I have no more to be thankful for than I have any other year - maybe I even have less. With the impending loss of hours at work, the increased frustration with my job, placing my house on the market, and uncertainty of what the future holds for me I am a bit surprised to find myself a thousand times more thankful than I have been in the past years. I have done a great deal of thinking over this paradox the past few days and I am coming to realize that it has been an interesting journey to arrive at this place and that this journey has not happened by accident.

God is teaching me that thanksgiving, the act of giving thanks, comes before joy and before giving thanks comes trusting. Maybe this doesn't come as a surprise to you but it does to me! I always thought that we should give thanks out of the joy that we have already experienced. In reality, though, recognizing God's blessings in our lives and living a life of gratitude before Him is what brings joy to our lives.

However, recognizing His blessings in our lives is not as easy as we often think it might be. Each one of us has struggles, hurts, heartaches, and trials that make day-to-day life difficult. Some of us know the definition of tragedy because we have lived it out in our own lives. Sometimes, the plain and simple uncertainty of tomorrow causes us to lose hope and we begin to doubt God's goodness in our lives. This is where I have been for quite some time - living without the realization of hope and doubting God's goodness in my life. Being uncertain of God's plan for my life caused me to become hard-hearted and even somewhat bitter. It is important for you to know that I have always had a great life - God has always bestowed upon me wonderful blessings. I was active in seeking Him and His will for my life, but something was missing - something vital to every Christian's faith journey, namely a willingness to trust God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.
(Proverbs 3:5&6)

God opened some really big doors in my life this year. Not necessarily opportunities but rather lessons that He wanted teach me. Not through sermons or Bible studies, but through revealing Himself to me in everyday life. God has taught me that He is trustworthy and that trusting Him is the single most valuable thing I can do to strengthen my relationship with Him. This means trusting Him for the sale of my home, graduate school, a new job, friendships, a husband, and His timeline for all of these things. If I believe that God is truly wise, supremely sovereign, and working all things for good, then why do I need to worry about anything? Doesn't He have it all under control?

It is through trusting God that I have come to realize how blessed I am. It is amazing that once I stop spending my energy on worrying about what comes next and trying to figure out the things I can't do anything about how much time and energy is freed up for me to focus and enjoy the amazing things that God has given me today. By choosing not to worry about tomorrow, I have found that I actually love every minute of today and I find myself with a heart full of gratitude. I now see how much I have to be thankful for and the more I praise and thank God for the things He has given me, the more joy I am filled with as I live each day striving to glorify Him.