Thanksgiving is Amazing - Christi Davis
As a young person, I enjoyed doing paper mazes. I loved the twists and turns, but I especially loved getting to the end without getting stuck or having to double back. If you know me, I might be a bit competitive. I often found them to be easy because I could see the whole thing. But as an adult, I visited a couple of life-sized mazes where I could not see anything but walls and turns. Those I did not find fun, because I could not see how they would end. I would often end up stuck in one place or just wandering in what felt like circles always hitting a wall. Once I spent a very frustrating hour trying one, and upon finally getting out, I found it had a map. I was able to do it in less than 5 minutes with the map. One maze that we visited had a perch that you could have a friend climb on, so that they could give you guidance. If you had the right person in the perch, and you communicated well with them, then the maze was simple. Our lives can feel like a maze sometimes, but if we use a map and communicate with a Friend who sees the big picture, it is so much easier to find our way. What better friend than Jesus and what better map than the Bible? One of the ways the Lord has given us to navigate the maze of life is THANKFULNESS. In I Thessalonians 5:18 the Bible says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Ephesians 5:20 says, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." We hear and see these verses often during this month, but often these commands are a challenge in our lives. Why? Because of the circumstances we are in or have been in. With the Lord’s help, I am praying that the thoughts the Lord has given me will help all of us navigate the maze of life with Thankfulness for not only the Victories but also the Valleys.
Several years ago, Bro. Dan Martin made a statement that has stayed with me to this day. He said, “What if we woke up tomorrow with only the things we were thankful for today?” I immediately made a mental list of all that I needed to be thankful for and I asked God to show me things along the way to be thankful for, I found that everything I was thankful for was on the “Victories” or blessing side of life. In my heart, I even thought, “well, if I am not thankful for the “Valleys” of burdens, I will not wake up to those tomorrow.” Makes sense, right? But God shows the map for the maze of life that said “IN EVERYTHING…” So, I came up with a reciprocal to Bro. Martin’s statement – “What if I woke up tomorrow without the burdens that I was thankful for today? Now I am seeing the whole picture from the point of view of the Master. Thankfulness is the key to not getting stuck in the maze, — Thankfulness for the Victories and the Valleys.
Let us start with the Victories. You would think it would be easy for us to properly thank the Lord for the victories and blessings in life, but we are forgetful distracted people. We often act as if we have done something to deserve all the goodness of the Lord. We do not. What we really deserve is – “HELL.” When we get a proper vision of our lives, we will see how thankful we should be. The book of Psalms is filled with David praising the Lord for his goodness. Those thoughts and expressions of gratitude will guide us victoriously through the maze of life. But, if we chose not to acknowledge God for all the blessings, He bestows, Romans 1:21paints a picture of the life of vanity that results in a lack of gratitude. That is a path that I do not want to follow, because it will definitely lead to a dead end. We often wonder how someone raised in a Bible believing home and a good church makes the awful choices that some do. I believe it starts with a lack of gratitude. Are you truly thankful for the victories and blessings God has given you. Are you actively “Giving Thanks” to Him? In the maze of life we can be victorious if we enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
As we look at the other side of life, the Valleys, I am reminded of an old song – “Thank You for the Valley I Walked Through Today,” I do not know how many valleys that song has helped me through. Those valleys were something in life’s maze to go “through today,” but for many of us these valleys are where we keep running into a wall and finding a dead end. Often people stay in the same valley for a lifetime when God meant only for them to walk through. Maybe it is a circumstance of your past: maybe it was something over which you had no control, but it hurt you or your family: Maybe it is a health issue. Whatever it might be, to navigate the maze of life we are commanded to be thankful — to keep walking through and finding our way out. Often those past circumstances require forgiveness before we can be thankful. If not, we will hit a dead end and become a victim. God allowed you to go through the circumstances of your life not to make you a victim, but to be a living testimony for him to others. We must see that God never intends for us to spend our lives dwelling on things that we cannot change. It robs us of the time and energy to praise Him for His goodness and lead a victorious life. If we use our map (God’s Word) and communicating with the One who has the view from above (Jesus), we can make the right turns (Thankfulness) in the maze of life that can lead to a valiant and victorious Christian life.
Where are you today? We all have blessings/victories around us every day that we need to be thankful for to fend off a life of vanity and lead a life of victory. But if you are in a valley or have a heavy burden, look for something to thank Him for to lead you through from victimhood to victory. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” Thankfulness is truly AMAZING.