Thankful for what?

I find myself stressed, but then I realize I am alive. That is a blessing.

Throughout my life and maybe your life as well I have found myself to question things, get frustrated, cast blame on things I shouldn't, and get border-line depressed. Not so much anymore that I have become a born-again Christian, but it does still happen to the best of us. Our selfish, fleshly, sin nature always tends to want to resurface. This often happens in a moment of weakness or what I have found to be even random at times.

Sometimes we wonder why we have the job that we have or daydream about doing what we consider to be great things. Our aspirations get the best of us and we lose focus of what is really important, serving and loving God and others. We fail to utilize the tools and the situations we have been given to glorify God. This is often put off by thinking, "I'll be able to help do this when I have this, or I'll start donating money when I make more or volunteer when this frees up in my schedule." But in all honesty those are just excuses. We are in our specific situation for a reason.

Every Christian has a ministry, we may think it's a lousy one, but it's indeed a ministry. How you carry yourself is part of your witness. How you react to situations, talk to people, watch on television, the internet, and spend your money is part of your witness if you call yourself a Christian. It's not pleasant to think about those kind of things because we tend to feel guilty as I do typing this right now! If we are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit we ARE representatives of Christ. Christian means follower of Christ. To follow in Christ is to follow in His footsteps and His teachings. The Bible is not a buffet in the sense that we can pick and choose what we want to believe or acknowledge while ignoring the rest.

You probably know by now that I am not about "living your best life now" rather I am about "living your NEXT life now". I heard that recently and I take it to mean, how would you live your life if you could see God watching everything you do and hearing every thought you have. He does already, but we rarely comprehend it. We should not expect good things of this life such as health and wealth. Can God give us health and wealth, of course. As Christians though we are taught to seek our reward in Heaven, not on earth. That is why I have a problem with that philosophy, because it is not biblical, it's man-centered instead of God-centered.

With that being said, how do we be thankful if we are not to expect good things? Don't get me wrong there are good things for the Christian to have in this life, but it's all about perspective. A situation I always try to remember is when I am sick. Whenever I get sick I realize how thankful I am for when I can do simple things such as breathe out of my nose or not have a headache. I felt this way after I sprained my ankle once. I took for granted not being able to walk without looking goofy and being in pain! Then as time goes on I take those little things for granted and am humbled again when I get sick or have another injury. I don't like getting sick and getting injured, but I love how that works.

Sometimes I just stare at my hands and realize how blessed I am that I have hands that work correctly or hands at all for that matter, especially since I am a musician. The last time I visited a nursing home I literally cried. Not so much because I felt bad for them, which I did, but more because of what I realized that I took for granted. I have loved ones, family, and the ability to walk and talk without help. I am young, able, and blessed to have a job. I don't care what the circumstances are in your life if you are alive then you ARE BLESSED. If you are missing a leg then you are blessed to have the other one. If you have a physical ailment then you are blessed to not have a mental one and the list could go on and on...This is blunt, generally I am, but as Christians we should be able to look at the world and ourselves and realize how blessed we really are. Even if you are not a Chrisian. I have said it before and I'll say it again, just because you are in God's blessing doesn't mean you are in Christ. I believe being in Christ enriches all this though.

I often say that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others...I stand by that, but I believe there is an exception when it comes to understanding God's plan for our life in regards to being humble and working within His will for us. We shouldn't measure ourselves to other people, but we should still comprehend that not all of us will have the things we desire or that others have. Not all of us are meant to have wealth and not all of us are meant to have health. Not all of us are meant to have that dream job and some of us are. Does that mean that one person is more deserving than the other, no. God has and uses our weaknesses to accomplish His will on earth. If one is not accepting of that then I have to question if they truly know or understand how magnificient and holy God truly is.

I am thankful for the things I have and the things that I do not. Being a Christian you have to realize that nothing in your life is mediocre, maybe to others, but how awesome is it to know that you belong to Christ if you have repentance and trust in Him. I have frequently prayed to know that I am in His will and I believe for now that I am, even though I still find myself having other aspirations at times. If you sense something is wrong or you feel conviction, then maybe it is God telling you to move on, but if it is simply because of boredom, selfishness, pride, or any other ungodly trait, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate how you are utilizing the time and resources He has given you in loving Him and others.

Matthew 22:36

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (ESV)


May God bless you and yours!

In Christ,

Joey