Be thankful for what has been given you.
And when I say be thankful, I mean for all of it. Even the hard parts. The moments when you’re screaming within “why me”! This is the hard eucharisteo. This is when you know it hurts but you also know that God can use your situation to bring glory to His name. Your struggles now may mean a saved life later. I’ve known so many believers that hide their struggles. They try to cover them up and put on this ‘christian’ face. Trying to convince others that their life is perfect because of God. And to that I ask “what Bible are you reading?” God is glorified when we rely on Him, not on ourselves. The Bible is full of prostitutes, murders, incest, liars, thieves, the poor, the diseased. And God is shown to be bigger than all those circumstances. If our lives were meant to look so glorious don’t you think those parts of the Bible would have been left out?! We need to boast in our weaknesses. To say ‘look at what I had’ or ‘what I went through’ and ‘He is still great’ and ‘He is still my everything’. He has a plan.
So maybe you didn’t have a drug addiction. Or you didn’t lose a child. Or you didn’t come from a broken home. Listen to others. Listen to the stories of the people around you. Open up your heart and listen to the story God is writing in their lives. It will give you pause to praise Him. To thank Him for all that He has given you. When you hear of a friend losing a job doesn’t that make you thankful for the income you have? When you donate clothes to Goodwill, does that not make you grateful that your children are warmly dressed?
Read books of missionaries in third world countries. Watch the news and witness what is taking place in your backyard. There are opportunities all around you to stop and serve the God of Heaven. Maybe go on a mission trip? Serve at a soup kitchen? Donate goods to a women’s shelter? Seek out how you can serve and take that first step outside of your comfort zone to bless another. It’ll change your perspective. It’ll change your life.
Don’t forget to comment on this post and leave your thanks to be registered for the “Kisses from Katie” giveaway!
Blessings!
