Thankful Right Here
Goodness gracious, friend, step on up like you just plum outran a mean lil’ ol’ rooster with a real bad attitude, and you sho’-nuff’ figured this was the safest place to catch your breath. I’m real glad you’re here. So, come on here now and pull yourself up on this ol’ front porch. Looky there, I just spotted a lil’ ol’ raccoon tryin’ to tiptoe across a clothesline and pretend it was part of the plan. Now, git settled in while the breeze scoots across the yard and a loudmouth ol’ cricket chirps like it’s auditionin’ for the Bluegrass singin’ portion of Grand Ole Opry. You know, life hands us moments that git to makin’ us stop and blink twice, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 sits right in the middle of those moments by sayin’, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” That there verse don’t tiptoe around anything. It walks right up, plum looks us in the eye, and says, “You can thank God right here even if right here feels like an ol’ rascally goat chewin’ on your last nerve.”
Some of us are fightin’ what God has allowed. We’re plum frustrated because life didn’t unfold like the pretty picture we had painted in our heads. We’re standin’ in a season that sho’-nuff’ feels about as pleasant as tryin’ to herd an ol’ stubborn mule that refuses to move unless it sees a carrot about the size of a canoe. We can’t figure out why God allowed what He allowed, and somewhere along the way, we just stopped talkin’ to Him because He didn’t give us what we wanted. Friend, that there silence is heavier than a wet hay bale.
But here’s where the big shift begins. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” That there verse settles into the soul like a lil’ ol’ field mouse findin’ a warm patch of hay after outrunnin’ an ol’ barn cat all mornin’. It plum reminds us that gratitude ain’t tied to comfort. Gratitude is sho’-nuff’ tied to trust. We don’t thank God because the circumstance is pleasant. We thank Him because He can use it. We thank Him because He is walkin’ with us through it. We thank Him because He ain’t finished yet.
Maybe today is the day you’re gonna stop fightin’ what you’re walkin’ through and start thankin’ God for how He’ll use it. That there’s the shift. From fightin’ to thankin’. From resistin’ to surrenderin’. From demandin’ answers to offerin’ gratitude. Stop fightin. Start thankin. Watch what God does with that kind of attitude.
Father, thank You for every circumstance You allow. Thank You that You can use what feels heavy, hard, or confusing. Teach us to trust You, to thank You, and to walk with You through every season. Help us surrender our frustration and embrace Your goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I do declare, friend, before you git away from here, you gotta stop and be lettin’ this truth settle down deep in your heart like a tired lil’ ol’ turtle findin’ a cool patch of mud after a long crawl across hot ground. Gratitude will steady you when life kicks up dust like a stampedin’ herd of cattle. Trust will anchor you real good when circumstances git to wobblin’ like a wobbly-legged lil’ ol’ calf learnin’ to stand for the first time. And God’s faithfulness will git to risin’ in your life with the certainty of dawn pushin’ back the night sky. When you stop fightin’ and start thankin’ Him, you’ll see God’s hand over your life a whole lot clearer than ever before.
With joy,
Gwen
