“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
~ King James Version
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“Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.”
~ Easy-to-Read Version
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“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
~ New International Version
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No matter how it is interpreted, there is no mistaking that the author of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is teaching a spirit of thanksgiving — more specifically, that one should be thankful, come what may.
Let’s face it, there is a lot of uncertainty in our lives.
Sometimes it can be a struggle just to maintain balance and to keep one’s head above water while getting tossed about by the unsettling and upsetting currents of the whirlpool of life.
This brief journey from the cradle to the grave is not, nor was it ever intended to be, a calm, peaceful, predictable pilgrimage. This is a proving ground. It is an odyssey, an adventure, filled with uncertainty, sometimes chaos, and so very many emotional twists and turns..
Life happens. Headaches, heartaches and disappointments come, and sometimes it can feel like they are dragging us down.
I cannot begin to comprehend ever trying to endure it all without faith.
Joseph Prince, an evangelist, said something that is so true: “Look within, get depressed; look around, get distressed; look to Jesus, find perfect rest.”
There is spiritual rest in a personal relationship with the Lord and Savior.
People of faith are not insulated from anything, but we do have a sense of comfort and hope that only can be described as otherworldly. Thank God for that!
My family has seen some hard times within the past year or so. Our boat has been rocked. Our world has been turned upside down and inside out. And yet, I know that is just a part of life that everyone must face in one sense or another. I know that God remains in control, and my trust and faith rest in Him.
Last November, I underwent a prostatectomy — surgery to have my prostate gland removed — due to cancer. The doctor thought he had removed all of the disease. However, we later learned that the cancer had spread to the bones in more than a half-dozen locations, which made it Stage 4 prostate cancer.
After a regimen of chemotherapy, injections and other medications, some of which continue, in late September my oncologist broke the news that I am in full remission — cancer-free.
I am very thankful for the many medical professionals who have aided us on this journey. They are highly-trained and very skilled people who know how to utilize the many tools at their disposal to help, and do it with such great care and compassion.
Still, my family and I thank God first and foremost, and we thank everyone for the many prayers sent up on our behalf during the past year.
What else to be thankful for? There is no end to the list.
I am thankful for the gifts of salvation, and eternal life.
I am thankful for a loving wife who has been my most trusted friend and faithful companion now for over 37 years. She is my soulmate.
I am thankful for and so very proud of our wonderful and beautiful children and grandchildren. God has been so good to us.
I am thankful for all of our relatives, friends and supporters — both personally and professionally. We are blessed to have the opportunity to know some of the best people in the world.
In that same vein, I am thankful for the subscribers and advertisers without whom no newspaper could survive, and the community correspondents and other writers who volunteer their time and talents toward helping make The Sun-Sentinel a better community newspaper.
Try as we may, there is no way to express thanks for every goodness, but I am reminded of a prayer, born of a Christian hymn, that I used to recite at mealtime.
“Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the birds that sing, thank you, God, for everything.”
Thank you, Lord, indeed!
Happy Thanksgiving!
