When God’s Plans Interrupt Mine
Inside: Are we able to give thanks to the Lord in and through the difficult seasons of our lives? When God has other plans for our days?
Is our first thought amid an illness or difficult season to give thanks to the Lord in it? This thought has been on my mind this week as my bible reading has me in 1 Thessalonians and I’m also dealing with a bad cold. I had things I wanted to accomplish this week and people I wanted to get together with. Some things happened but not as much as I planned. God had other plans.
Is our first thought amid an illness or difficult season to give thanks to the Lord in it?I was dealing with a cold, nothing earth-shattering but something that brings a change in your schedule.
As I read in 1 Thessalonians 5:1, below are some thoughts I shared in my journal on verse 18:
“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~1 Thess 5:18
- Not some but all circumstances.
- It is God’s will.
- Christians are to be marked by thanksgiving.
- It is an imperative—a command.
- The commands of God help us to glorify Him, enjoy Him, and live the free and abundant life we have in Christ.
- The opposite of giving thanks is murmuring or complaining.
- When I complain about my circumstances, I am complaining against the One who has designed every circumstance of my life.
- May my attitude be one of gratitude.
- I must practice thanksgiving in every circumstance.
- I owe everything to God—how can I not be thankful?
- There is always something to be thankful for – even on the seemingly darkest days; there is still an abundance of many blessings.
- May I remember Psalm 103 and “forget not all His benefits.”
- Ingratitude is a sin (Romans 1:21).
- I continually need to pray for eyes of faith and an eternal perspective.
O Thou who hast given us so much, mercifully grant us one more thing-a grateful heart.
~ George Herbert
So even amid this seemingly silly cold, I am giving thanks. I’m thankful that it slowed me down and made me realize life moves on without me. I did accomplish things this week that weren’t necessarily on my to-do list initially, but they were things I wanted to get to.
I reviewed my schedule which has been out of whack and was thankful for the arrival of Free to Focus in my mailbox to help me work through what I would like my days and weeks to look like. I’m not talking about having perfectly planned days because as we learn in these seasons, we can plan, but the Lord still directs our steps, and it reminds us Who is really in control.
I had time to send some cards and notes I wanted to get out to friends and loved ones. I returned long overdue phone calls, delivered a meal to a friend right before my cold hit, and chatted with some dear friends who are going through hard seasons. My grandbabies didn’t get to see me live, but we had fun with Facetime this week. They even caught Nana in her pajamas a couple of times. So much for my post on Getting Dressed this week.
My days were not as productive, but God’s Word reminded me that He ordained this season. So dusting and vacuuming didn’t get done. I did get to a bit of laundry out of necessity and made some simple meals. I rested, read, reevaluated, and had more time in prayer and meditating on the Word than I do in most weeks.
Time to rest was much to give thanks in and through. I don’t know the season you’re in and the difficulties you’re facing. There are many hard situations you all are dealing with, but I pray you will focus your eyes on the One who ordains our days and seasons and find blessings in the midst of the trial.
The greatest blessing is the one I come back to always. I am loved and chosen by God as His daughter. It doesn’t get any better than that. In Christ, we are all doing better than we deserve every moment.
We can always find something to be thankful for.