I am Thankful for my Governing Leaders (and other unlikely thanks)

Thanksgiving has always been a special holiday in my family. It was a day that I always knew I would get to see my Grandma and it marked one month until Christmas. As an American living in Canada I now celebrate Thanksgiving twice. I sometimes still catch myself calling the November celebration, "Real Thanksgiving," and I doubt that my favouritism will ever change. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving has typically rushed upon me as I've stressed my way through the year. Too often I've found myself suddenly sitting at a table full of family trying to actually focus on what I'm thankful for and straining to think of just one thing. For far too many years I've rattled off the right answer as I've listed some wonderful or pleasant experience for which I am thankful; Family, Friends, Food. But this year has been rough. I could claw my way through the pain to find a couple of pleasant things to be thankful for but then wouldn't I be missing the point? Wouldn't I be missing the fact that God commands us to give thanks in all circumstances (I Thess 5:18)? As I have analyzed a list of Scripture passages which speak directly to thankfulness I have found something very interesting which links many of them together. Rarely, if ever, are we told to give thanks for our own benefit and recognition. So often we approach Thanksgiving with an obligatory sense of needing to be thankful because we are well off and, "it could be worse." However, I find it interesting that Scripture doesn't ever mention that we are to be thankful because we live in luxury and others are starving. Instead, Scripture tells us to be thankful because God is good and in His steadfast, enduring love we have been called into one body (Ps 106:1; 107:1; 118:1-18, Eph 5:20, Col 3:15-17). We have been given a good, perfect, inexpressible gift which creates a freedom and peace that transcends all understanding (I Chr 29:13, Ps 30:12; 105:1, II Cor 9:15, James 1:17). Such a gift changes every circumstance, every purpose, and every perspective and should cause us to, "Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth (Is 12:4-5)." So this year I've compiled a list of the obvious things that God has placed in my life. I hope it encourages you to look at the bigger picture and see not just what God gave you that you wanted, but what God gave you that He wanted in order to magnify Himself.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17"

1. I Am Thankful For Distance and Loneliness

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and 

God of all comfort, . . . II Cor 1:3"

It would seem that over the last 2 years God has been slowly creating physical distance between any relationship in my life. The family and friends that I once relied so heavily on for comfort and advice are many miles away. My husband finds much of his time consumed by the demands of being a full time student. As a result I have spent countless hours battling the inevitable feelings of loneliness that accompany an isolated extrovert. Yet, over the last six months specifically I have seen God use this isolation to drive me to Him. I am learning that He must be my source of refuge, satisfaction, and comfort. I am thankful for the distance and feelings of loneliness as I have come to know the God of all comfort in a completely new and satisfying way.

2. I Am Thankful For Loss and Grief

"Who comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we might be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Cor 1:4"

I never thought that I would actually be able to say that I was thankful for the grief I've experienced over this last year. It almost seemed that to say I was thankful for my miscarriages would be to say that I was thankful that my children were dead. The lyrics of a popular Christian song echo Job as they say, "You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, 'Lord blessed be your name.'" While others have stood around me whole heartedly singing this song in worship I would stand silent with tears streaming down my face. I couldn't bring myself to sing lyrics that I didn't mean. It was as I was preparing this post that I finally realized that it wasn't the result of sin or the stench of death that my heart needed to be thankful for. My heart could bless the name of the Lord in praise because that same stench of death pointed me to a day when death would be no more. That same result of sin reminded me that Christ took on my sin and rose in victory over the grave providing hope and comfort. As a result I can be thankful for the loss and grief that I have experienced over the last year and share the hope I have found with others. In addition, this level of suffering has given me a new ability to comfort others with the same comfort I have been given by God. One year ago today I would have had no idea how to minister to someone experiencing grief and loss. I praise God that He has equipped me with the tools I need to enter into the grief of others and provide the healing and hope of Christ. 

3. I Am Thankful For Feelings of Brokenness and Uselessness

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power 

belongs to God and not to us. II Cor 4:7"

I have never been so aware of my broken, sin cursed state as I am today. I have watched life that I was suppose to nurture and protect die inside of me. At times I have literally torn at my skin with my finger nails trying to break free from the tomb of death that I exist in. I have seen myself at my weakest and have realized that I am fragile and that my life is but a vapour. Yet, for all of this I am thankful because I do not believe that we can truly understand the weighty depths of our salvation until we understand the extent of our brokenness and filth. We will not comprehend the sacrifice of our Saviour to embrace man as a man until we understand the depths of our depravity and frailty. We cannot begin to fathom the grace extended to us when Christ died to cloth us in His righteousness until we recognize our utter unrighteous and hopeless state. We cannot truly understand His power until we finally grasp the fact that we are not immortal super heroes but broken chamber pots not even suitable for containing waste. But God. God has picked up this earthen vessel and placed the knowledge of the glory of God in it. God has shone the light of the Gospel out of my brokenness and has transformed a useless vessel into a magnificent masterpiece of grace. God has allowed others to see His surpassing power through my life as He has only strengthened my faith when all circumstances should have caused it to dissipate. For all this I am thankful.

4. I Am Thankful For An Incurable Disease

"And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.  Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.' John 8:1-11"

Within the last year I was diagnosed with an incurable STD which I will likely battle for the rest of my life. I have planned to write on this topic in detail after the new year so I will save much of what I have to say until then. However, for now I feel it important to share that I am learning to be thankful for this diagnosis. It has crushed my pride and in so doing has often reminded me that we are all sinful humans. None of us are any better in our sin than another. Together we would stand completely filthy and under great wrath if it were not for the beautiful gift of our Saviours righteousness. I am thankful for a renewed understanding that any good that is produced from my life is not to my own credit. Rather, the Psalmist spoke with complete accuracy when he said, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you (Psalm 16)." I am thankful for the fact that I have a better view of myself and, as a result, have a deeper love for others. I am thankful that I now see that my guilt was no better than any one else's but Christ took my condemnation on Himself and I am free to live in obedience. 

5. I Am Thankful For My Governing Leaders

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Rom 13:1"

This portion of my post may possibly be spurred into writing from a burr that has worked its way into my fur so I beg you to bear with me. Canada's recent elections and the looming U.S.A. Presidential election has filled my social media page with a constant barrage of insulting and disrespectful comments towards the current governing authorities in North America. Dishonouring jokes, ridiculing media coverage and sarcastic cartoons are becoming the second language of Christians worldwide. While I am sickened to watch the world as we know it destroy itself I am not surprised. I do not agree with a majority of the platforms or opinions of these leaders but I do believe that God has placed these men in authority and it is my responsibility as a child of the King to submit to them. Why? Solely because their rise to power and leadership did not happen while God was sleeping or busy with a different part of the world. God, in His absolute sovereignty, placed these leaders in their position and handed them their power. He is accomplishing His purposes through them and is bringing glory to Himself. To insult and dishonour these leaders is to insult and dishonour God. I am thankful that these individuals have been placed into office because it points me to a day when the righteous and perfect Ruler will destroy every human ruler and the Almighty King will take His throne (I Cor 15:24).  

Conclusion

Some may read this and object, assuming that I am implying that I am thankful that my babies died or that I am weirdly doing everything I can to enjoy the pain of a broken world. I must reiterate that Scripture has commanded that we be thankful for all things. How is this possible? It is possible only with the correct focus. If I looked only at the circumstance I've encountered over the last year I would have to honestly say that I am not thankful for them. However, when we look past the circumstances to the Person and purpose behind it we can respond with heartfelt worship as we proclaim, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! (Ps 100:4)"