Giving Thanks When Bad Things Happen

In my last entry, I promised to expand on the following:

“I pray that your coming year be more than happy, I pray that your year be connected to the joy of God that only comes from knowing Christ.”

At the time, it was a fragment of a prayer of thanksgiving that I wanted to share, but I was still trying to sort everything out AND I was excited to share the publication of my book. A big thank-you, by the way, to all of you who have purchased the book… in anticipation of the upcoming 2015 Christmas season. LOL!!!

It turns out that the end of 2014 had been particularly trying for our family. Within the span of a month, we experienced many challenges, including corporate incompetence, attacks of the flu, an automobile accident, and 4 deaths. None of the dead were human, but they were all family, nonetheless. Not necessarily in order of their demise, those we lost were:

1. Our beloved Nana; an intelligent, playful,  gentle, and loving black lab who was part of our family for 15 years; a victim of old age.
2. The 100-foot tall pine tree that stood in our front yard for over 40 years; a victim of borer beetles.
3. Our reliable microwave oven that had served us for 25 years; a mystery death, but not too surprising after 25 years.
4. My Hyundai Santa Fe SUV; only 8 years old, it died protecting me during a collision.

With all those losses, with sickness, and with a host of other setbacks in the family, one might be tempted to complain, to ask “why me”, or even believe that God might have withdrawn His blessings and hand of protection. My knowing Christ has not magically protected me from all trouble or sorrow. Oh, many “know of” Christ, but those that really “know” Christ exhibit an attitude of gratefulness that stems from the joy that passes all understanding, the joy of a relationship with Christ Jesus. So how’s YOUR gratefulness? Do you count your blessings, or do you only see the trials? Do you even see your blessings, or is everything always a struggle?

In the course of a month, over the Christmas season, we were hit with nothing but serious struggles. Where’s the blessing in that? Where’s the joy in that? The answer is that Jesus gives us a different way of looking at the world. For those with eyes to see, our lives are covered by blessings. Take another look at those 4 deaths:

1. Nana blessed us with her unconditional love for far longer than the 10 to 12 years that black labs usually live.
2. Once they started cutting down the 100-foot tall pine tree, they discovered that the top 25 feet of the tree was so weakened that a strong wind would have brought it crashing down on our house and our neighbor’s garage. It was an unexpected expense to take down the tree, but a blessing that we were spared serious damage, and possible serious injury.
3. The microwave turned out to have been improperly mounted over the stove, and might have torn free in an earthquake. Again, a blessing that we discovered it before serious damage or injury could occur.
4. I was in a collision with my Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. It was a great blessing that the vehicle did what it was designed to do… crumple into itself to protect the occupants (in this case, me). Because it did that so well, it was declared a total loss. There were actually a myriad blessings from that event; not so obvious at first, but eventually revealed over time.

Certainly, we all have troubles, but the question is: Are you overwhelmed by troubles, do you struggle to overcome your troubles alone, or do you move ever forward strengthened by Christ, obedient  to God, and grateful for God’s blessings?

So, let me encourage you with my prayer once again:

I pray that your coming year be more than happy, I pray that your year be connected to the joy of God that only comes from knowing Christ.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave