We are told in the scriptures to give thanks in all things. That means for you and I to be thankful in the good times as well as the bad. How can anybody be thankful in the times that are bad, difficult or even unexpected? This is not an unsual question to ask, because many of us do find it difficult to be thankful in all things.
There has been many difficult things happening this year. Some of the people that we love have made their transitions. Some have "seemingly" lost the battles against diseases. Some have been lost to some death by means that have been too difficult for us to image, even at the hands of people that should have loved and cared for them.
This year has been difficult for some because of financial difficulties and job loses. So many negative things, so why should we be thankful? Even in the midst of our difficulties God's hand has been active in our lives. As difficult as things have been, God did not allow those things to take us out.
For those family members that we prayed for that were sick but did not "win" the battle against sickeness, we feel discouraged because now we have to make it without them. We do have something to be thankful for even in this. If our loved ones were believers in Christ, God did answer our prayers for healing for their sickness. He just did not answer it the way we thought. We thought he would make them well on this side of heaven. But for whatever reason he chose to take them with him and give them eternal healing. Our loved ones are now pain free, worry free and have no more earthly worries.
This God that has our loved ones is the same one that will continue to comfort us in our lost and in our time of mourning as we adjust to life without the ones we love. This God is also the God that has taken care of us throughout the year when we did not know how we were going to pay our bills or provide for ourselves, God stepped in and took care of our needs.
We are on the brink of the New Year, what do we want to learn from this year and what do we want to do differently next year? We want to be reminded that God took care of us throughout all the difficulties we faced this year and we must continue to give praise and be thankful no matter what we faced.
What do we want to look forward to? We want to go into the New Year with a mindset that we will continue to be thankful to God for his ways are perfect. We will also commit to allowing God to have his perfect will in our lives no matter what we might face.
God today we say thank you for being the light for our path in the year 2009. We now ask that you would continue to be the light to our path and that we may see your way more clearly and that we may live the life you desire more passionately. Help us to give ourselves to Christ as a true gift and sacrifice to you.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
(The regular Words of Encouragement will resume in January 2010).
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