"We can't always give thanks FOR everything, but we can always give thanks IN everything." Ruth Bell Graham.
Does Mrs. Graham's sentence make sense to you? Her statement includes a subtle difference, but a significant one. Certainly there are things that we can't be thankful for...acts of evil, horribly destructive natural occurrences, fatal accidents that we never understand, horrific diseases that take the lives of loved ones...these are things that we cannot be thankful for.
But in the midst of even these terrible times, the believer in God can give thanks in these times, because they have faith in God's ultimate ability to take these hardest of times and use them for some purpose that will allow His love and His goodness to be shared.
The picture of Mother Teresa caring for the poorest of the poor in the ghettos of India...would anyone give thanks for that level of poverty? Never! But do we give thanks for a woman who set aside her life to dedicate every moment to those who would never be able to offer her anything? Do we thank God for allowing us to see a portion of the amount of love that He has for people through this woman of absolute humility? Yes, I thank Him in the middle of that poverty that He shared this picture of pure love with the world of our time. I thank Him for bringing light to the darkest of places.
The picture of thousands of Christians who have gone to Haiti in the aftermath of the horrific earthquake of 2010...would anyone give thanks for a natural disaster of that magnitude. Absolutely not! But do we give thanks for people willing to postpone their lives in order to spend a year or more helping a country without any financial resources to rebuild homes for its people, to bring some sense of normalcy to a state of utter chaos? Yes, I thank God that He shows Himself in the middle of despair through lives of self-sacrifice, sharing His love with other children of His.
In times of crises, in times of catastrophe, it seems that there are always those who are willing to stop and help, or to assist financially, to offset the darkness with light. I thank God for that.
I understand that some will say there are many who do these things without proclaiming to be a Christian, that it is just human kindness. But I would argue that even without knowing it, they are moving at the direction of God. That all goodness comes from the source of goodness, our God above. Just as Jesus said in John 3:21, "But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." I think Jesus is telling us that people with hearts that are turned toward goodness will eventually know that their good works were not done without God's involvement. I love the way the Bible in Basic English translates this verse, "But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God."
As a believer in an ever present, omnipotent, loving God, I believe that this is another way that the Holy Spirit works on the heart of those who have not yet acknowledged His presence. In times of dire need by others, He prompts their hearts to acts of goodness, of self-sacrifice, of going beyond what they would normally offer of themselves. And when they reflect on these moments, I believe the Holy Spirit is there, ready to reveal to them that what they experienced was not of themselves, but it was God's love ready to be expressed through them. And with the slightest acknowledgement of the possibility of God's movement in their lives, His gift of increased awareness and understanding of His ways is put into action.
I thank God that He is there, in the middle of it all, working toward the good of those oppressed, and toward the good of those able to physically help. His Spirit is moving. I thank Him for His wonderful ability to use all things to draw people to Him through His Spirit of pure love.
I'm thanking God in everything...for I know that He is always at work!
Does Mrs. Graham's sentence make sense to you? Her statement includes a subtle difference, but a significant one. Certainly there are things that we can't be thankful for...acts of evil, horribly destructive natural occurrences, fatal accidents that we never understand, horrific diseases that take the lives of loved ones...these are things that we cannot be thankful for.
But in the midst of even these terrible times, the believer in God can give thanks in these times, because they have faith in God's ultimate ability to take these hardest of times and use them for some purpose that will allow His love and His goodness to be shared.
The picture of Mother Teresa caring for the poorest of the poor in the ghettos of India...would anyone give thanks for that level of poverty? Never! But do we give thanks for a woman who set aside her life to dedicate every moment to those who would never be able to offer her anything? Do we thank God for allowing us to see a portion of the amount of love that He has for people through this woman of absolute humility? Yes, I thank Him in the middle of that poverty that He shared this picture of pure love with the world of our time. I thank Him for bringing light to the darkest of places.
The picture of thousands of Christians who have gone to Haiti in the aftermath of the horrific earthquake of 2010...would anyone give thanks for a natural disaster of that magnitude. Absolutely not! But do we give thanks for people willing to postpone their lives in order to spend a year or more helping a country without any financial resources to rebuild homes for its people, to bring some sense of normalcy to a state of utter chaos? Yes, I thank God that He shows Himself in the middle of despair through lives of self-sacrifice, sharing His love with other children of His.
In times of crises, in times of catastrophe, it seems that there are always those who are willing to stop and help, or to assist financially, to offset the darkness with light. I thank God for that.
I understand that some will say there are many who do these things without proclaiming to be a Christian, that it is just human kindness. But I would argue that even without knowing it, they are moving at the direction of God. That all goodness comes from the source of goodness, our God above. Just as Jesus said in John 3:21, "But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." I think Jesus is telling us that people with hearts that are turned toward goodness will eventually know that their good works were not done without God's involvement. I love the way the Bible in Basic English translates this verse, "But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God."
As a believer in an ever present, omnipotent, loving God, I believe that this is another way that the Holy Spirit works on the heart of those who have not yet acknowledged His presence. In times of dire need by others, He prompts their hearts to acts of goodness, of self-sacrifice, of going beyond what they would normally offer of themselves. And when they reflect on these moments, I believe the Holy Spirit is there, ready to reveal to them that what they experienced was not of themselves, but it was God's love ready to be expressed through them. And with the slightest acknowledgement of the possibility of God's movement in their lives, His gift of increased awareness and understanding of His ways is put into action.
I thank God that He is there, in the middle of it all, working toward the good of those oppressed, and toward the good of those able to physically help. His Spirit is moving. I thank Him for His wonderful ability to use all things to draw people to Him through His Spirit of pure love.
I'm thanking God in everything...for I know that He is always at work!
1 comment:
Love this, mom! Glad you're still writing.
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