Thankful, Always

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I’ve read this passage many times, especially this time of the year. A season sandwiched between candy and presents, and can often get skipped over with the anticipation of the Christmas season.

Side note - I won’t be playing Christmas music until the day AFTER Thanksgiving. Yes, go ahead and say bah humbug or call me a grinch, but I love the Thanksgiving season. I find that I desperately need it because I can often move too fast and leave gratitude and thanks aside for when it’s convenient.

During a recent sermon, our pastor read this verse, and, full disclosure, I wanted to just keep moving along. But I felt a tug. A tug just soft enough to be tempted to ignore, but firm enough to beg for my attention. Or maybe it was like that slight tickle in your throat that you can’t ignore for too long before it makes you viciously cough.

Either way, it wasn’t going away until I addressed it.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When I read this verse, I want to stop at “be thankful” so that I can choose WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHERE, and WHEN to be thankful. I want to be in control of my thankfulness. I proudly say that I “want to be authentic,” but really, it’s so that I can withhold thankfulness from people or situations I want.

Photo by Amaury Gutierrez on Unsplash

I’m not always joyful. I struggle to pray at times. I find my natural tendency is to doubt and complain. So I wish I could erase this verse. I wish I could pick and choose which verses to follow because it would be easier that way.

But that’s how you know those are God’s words, not man’s. Man wants to create excuses and justify sin. Man wants to run from change and humility. Man wants to define morality based on what’s convenient or popular.

But the apostle Paul is calling all of us to something radical and counter to our nature. He calls us to ALWAYS be thankful, NEVER stop praying, and be thankful in ALL circumstances, because THIS is God’s will for us.

While our world complains and collapses, especially during the difficult times, God offers us joy.

Life may be difficult. Prayer may be hard at times. But keep talking with your Heavenly Father, who cares for you.

It can be challenging to be thankful no matter what. But when we have Jesus, we have all we need.

You may be walking through the most challenging season of your life. There is joy available in Jesus.

You may feel like your prayers are going unanswered and that you are losing the desire to pray. Keep praying, God hears you.

It may feel like everything is going wrong and there is nothing to be thankful for. Pause and find just one thing to be grateful for.

As I reflect on this verse, I am reminded of one of the hardest weeks I have ever faced. I wrote at length about it here—Even When It Hurts.

But I remember lying in my hospital bed, wondering if this was my new normal with paralysis and the inability to have more kids. I was struggling to find joy, battling the desire to pray, and to maintain a spirit of thankfulness amidst it all.

But I remember one night as sleep was eluding me, I felt my spirit stir and God whispered a truth that I hold onto today:

Life is not FAIR, but God is FAITHFUL, and for that - I am grateful.

This doesn’t mean life is all peachy or that there won’t be incredibly dark and difficult days, but it does mean we can face them with a purpose. The way we walk through difficult days can be the most incredible testimony to our faith to non-believers.

When we have Jesus, we can always experience joy. Because of God’s love for us, we can lift up our prayers—both beautiful and ugly ones. Through Jesus, we can be thankful no matter the circumstance.

So, friend, I echo Paul’s word from my heart to yours. Always be joyful. Don’t stop praying. And remember to be thankful for what you do have because in Jesus, we have all we need.