Giving Thanks

Monopoly, Uno, Mouse Trap, Kickball, and Dodgeball are some of my favorite childhood games. While you’ve played those games, has anyone ever broken a rule or completely changed the rules? How did you react? Were you frustrated? 

Have you felt like COVID-19 changed the rules on us? We were living an everyday life, and suddenly COVID came along and played by its own rules. Someone changed the rules in the game of life! 

In the NFL, when a coach thinks the official missed a call, he’ll throw a red flag to challenge the decision. Have you ever felt like throwing a red flag at God? We can get upset and frustrated and not figure out “why” all that has happened. But maybe we aren’t supposed to know the “why” right now. 

Do you remember when you took a test in school, and the teacher would quietly sit at the front desk, overseeing a room full of anxious students? Maybe you picture God sitting on His throne, watching a world full of anxious people like a teacher. But God is not sitting quietly. Instead, he has given us His Spirit and His Word to guide, comfort, and equip us.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 gives us direction on how to respond: “give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Be thankful “IN ALL,” not “for all” circumstances! I’m not thankful for COVID-19, but I can still be thankful during difficult times. There is much that God has blessed me with and much that I am grateful for. How about you?  

In a world where the rules have changed, God has NOT! He loves us, saves us, and equips us to be victorious through Him! Don’t give up, and don’t complain. Give thanks today.