Thankful.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

(1 Thessalonians 5:18) 

I have been under the impression that I am pretty good at giving thanks. I see the value and beauty in the world easily, and it's not hard for me to look at lovely things, relationships, adventures, nature, conversations, or personal achievement, and be pointed back to my Creator. This is just one of the things that He has imbued in me, and, in the spirit of all that I just said, I am thankful for that part of myself.

However, consider those times when it's a little harder to see the lovely things. In those moments, I tend to falter and fail when it comes to thanksgiving, and falter and fail quite often. As often as I have heard and learned that God is faithful, deserves all praise, always, my heart simply doesn't feel like thanking Him for the hard things. Sometimes God allows situations or trials or even moods into my life, and I stir up bitterness in my heart and hold onto the memory of the things I want, the things that I think I deserve and are mine. I am far from thanksgiving in these times. And, not intentionally, I begin to pull away from my Father, refusing to thank Him for the things He has given me, and the trials He is walking me through.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

In Philippians, Paul tells us to bring our worries, anxieties, our hurt hearts, to God. Many people know this verse. We see it as an open invitation to lay our messy lives at the Lord's feet, and indeed, He desires that from us. But are we missing an important part of this passage? With THANKSGIVING, do we lay our requests in front of God? Or do we throw them down in tears or frustration, or with more worry that He won't help us? Giving our fears to God allows Him to work in our hearts and fill us with His overwhelming joy and peace. This guards our hearts, and sets our minds on Him and His great work. But He commands thanksgiving. 

He commands me to worship Him in even the hardest times, and He will fill me with joy. Instead, I tend to reverse that order. I will be upset, then I will seek out that heavenly joy that I've felt in the past, and once I find that, I will be thankful. This rarely, if ever, works. I am left feeling like I'm hovering just above that joy and peace, waiting for it to come and make all my frustration and confusion calm. Being thankful in the midst of the frustration and confusion just seems too hard! It's too much work to thank God constantly for the things I don't want to thank Him for. But that is what He calls us to do. And, contrary to our belief, it is so much more freeing than doing it our own way. Instead of working towards that joy, we just draw near to Him. We look for the beauty, look for the pain that can maybe turn into beauty, and see that He can work in that. And thank Him. Once we do that, the joy comes all on it's own, and we are transformed. This is the amazing miracle of Thanksgiving, and the drastic change it can create in our hearts. 

We have the hope of discovering heavenly joy if we are first, and foremost, thankful.