I remember times when I was young that I didn’t like something that my mother had made me for dinner and would defy her instructions to swallow whatever it was at the time that I didn’t want to eat. She would even go to the lengths of forcing it into my mouth.
Being dramatic, I would cry, wouldn’t swallow, and
occasionally even gag aggressively to demonstrate how terrible that it was to force me to eat it. The battle would go on and on. There were times that I
would still be sitting there an hour after everyone else had left the table because my mom said that I couldn’t get up until I swallowed what was in my mouth. There was something that she would say from time to time that I still think about to this day. She would say, “You’ll eat that AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!!” It wasn’t that she was optimistic that I would enjoy it once I finally tried it. She was actually telling me that I should change my opinion, even if I really didn’t like it! Like I should make the decision that would change the way that my taste buds functioned.
Sometimes in the “church world” there is an expectation that if I am a Christian, I should somehow enjoy everything that life has to offer without struggling while going through it. There is a verse that is even used often when considering what it is that we are going through. Paul is closing his letter by giving several pastoral thoughts that were important for the church to know when he writes,
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Does this mean that I should be thankful for the difficult things that come at me in this life? Does this mean that I should actually enjoy the tragedies and losses that I experience?
Think about this. The verse says that we are to be thankful IN all circumstances. It doesn’t say that we are to be thankful FOR all circumstances. There is a significant difference. Being a proper follower of Jesus doesn’t mean that we are going to enjoy all that we go through in this life. But it does mean that we can always choose gratitude for what we are going through. Too many people assume that once we give our hearts to Jesus life should get easier. This is not true. As a matter of fact, John 16:33 says, “In this world you WILL have trouble”!
But the key to being able to be thankful in all circumstances comes from
knowing that our trials can always bring good growth to our lives in some way if we allow them to. This understanding will help us go through trials because we at least know that they aren’t in vain. Once I would finally give in and swallow the spinach that was in my mouth for so long, I would typically realize that it would have been easier if I would have listened to mom when she would say that it was good for me.
What are you struggling with in your life?
Have you been looking primarily on the difficulty and not what God is trying to teach you?
SOAP Scripture: James 1:2-4
S: (scripture)
Read the above passage and underline, highlight, or write down passages that stand out to you. Maybe re-read it a few times if that’s helpful.
O: (observation)
Write down things you observe about the passage. Maybe it’s a word that stood out to you, something the passage made you think about, or a question that you have.
A: (application)
Write down some ways that the passage applies to your life. Make it personal.
P: (prayer)
Take a moment and pray. Ask God to make the passage practical to your everyday life.
