Being Grateful in Hard Times
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for our God is [indeed] a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29, AMP)
In every good marriage, there’s a worrier and someone who is not easily rattled. In mine, I take the position of the worrier, and Sam is the one who is always telling me to let things go. Even if you’re not married, you probably know whether you’ll end up being the worried one or the other half who will constantly be telling your spouse to take a breath and change their perspective.
A few weeks ago, I was complaining to Sam about things that don’t even matter anymore. He answered me in the same way he always does, but his tone made it into a little more of a challenge. He told me I worry too much. I need to let go of things outside of my control. He called out my ungratefulness– I was so caught up in my gripes and worries, that I was neglecting the blessings God has given to us.
Sure, personally, my little family has a lot going on. But then again, who doesn’t? I’m sure everyone reading this right now has their own hardships and struggles, not to mention the stress over the state of the world we live in now that looms over all of it.
But even though you have completely valid things you could be stressing over, don’t let it distract you from the thankfulness you should have for the things that God has already given. You should still make room to be grateful that you serve a Savior that hasn’t let your needs go neglected.
To be vulnerable, in my family, we’re waiting on the Lord to provide a job for Sam. And the job He does provide may mean a very large move for our family. On one hand, we could be consumed by stressing over financial worries at the moment, but we could also choose to be thankful that we have a safe home for our little family and food on our table. We could lose sleep over the fact that a new job could mean a move across the country– far from anyone we know and love. But we could also be thankful that God still provides and has prepared a place for us to serve Him.
Maybe you don’t like your job. Maybe it doesn’t pay your bills the way you wish it would. But be thankful you have that job.
Maybe you are living at home with your parents at a far older age than you ever wanted for yourself. You could be grateful that God has given you time to enjoy a deeper relationship with your parents on adult terms and a safe place to land while you figure out what’s next.
Maybe you’re struggling with infertility. Maybe you feel like you’re in a race against time to build the family you want so badly, but can’t seem to start. Take solace in the fact that you still have a partner who loves you deeply and passionately and God has given them a desire to have a family with you.
And if all else fails– if your personal struggle is far more unspoken– we can remember that despite what we face, what tomorrow, or even what next year has in store, we have a God and Father that is still building a kingdom that cannot be shaken. No war, no presidential election, no debt, no foreign policy, no food shortage, no bank account, no medical report, and no personal struggle we can have is more overwhelming than that. God’s Kingdom of Heaven cannot be shaken. God’s plan for redeeming your sinful heart cannot be thwarted. God is still on His heavenly throne. He is still sovereign over all of it.
And He sees you. He knows your worries as intimately as He knows the war in Gaza. He hears your heartaches as attentively as He hears anything else. He takes care of creation, and you as a part of that creation are no less significant to take care of.
And I realize that as the worrier, it’s easy for me to lose sight of all that. It’s easy for me to be swallowed up by my concern and forget to be grateful to a God that has never left me out of His favor. So if you feel like I do– bogged down by all the things that seem unanswered– the challenge is to find the things that God has given. Be grateful for them. Praise Him for them. Give Him the reverence and awe he deserves for what He has already done. Worship Him, even if He never sees fit to pour out another blessing because He would still be so worthy of it.
For our God, just as the verse above says, is an all-consuming fire. He burns up all the things that don’t matter. He refines what is eternal. He perfects us and matures our faith using these moments of uncertainty and inner-turmoil.
There are still reasons to be grateful to our God, whether that be in the blessings He has so graciously given to us that we take for granted, or that He included us in the almighty, unshakeable kingdom He has included us in as sons and daughters.
It sounds so simple, but in reality the directive is hard to grab hold of. Still, we must try.
Be thankful. Praise Him for the pieces that He has already laid into place. Worship Him despite the uncertain days ahead. Let go of the worry and the things you can’t control. Lean on the Lord and be grateful He is still good enough to keep carrying us through.
