You Want Me to Do What?

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. - I Thessalonians 5:18

This verse has been on my mind a lot this past week.  We've talked before about the importance of paying attention to every word of this verse, especially the first one.  It doesn't say to give thanks "for" everything, but "in" everything.

I'm not especially thankful that our only vehicle went out in a blaze of glory (literally) and that we are now left with the unpleasant task of finding a replacement vehicle that we can purchase with the measly amount of money we're getting from the insurance company.  I'm not very thankful that I had just spent over $60 to fill the tank up with gas or that we had spent over $600 to put tires on the truck just a few months back.  I'm not terribly thankful that my two new Southern Gospel CD's that I had gotten a week earlier were destroyed in the fire.

As the week passed, however, I thought of a lot of things about the situation I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful no one was hurt.
2. I am thankful that the fire did not reach the gas tank of the truck or the propane tank fifteen feet away.
3. I am thankful we were not in the truck when it caught fire.
4. I am thankful we spotted the fire as soon as we did.
5. I am thankful we live less than a mile from the fire department.
6. I am thankful that we had not gone to our annual concert in Georgia the night before.
7. I am thankful that my brother had an extra car we could borrow while we shopped for a new one.
8. I am thankful that we had comprehensive insurance and that they gave us a fair price for our vehicle.

The more I think about it, the more things I think of for which I am thankful.  "In every thing give thanks."  It's not as difficult as it seems.  Even when the problem looks bad, it could be much worse.  I challenge you to give it a try.  Look at the situation you're facing today.  While you may not be thankful for the situation itself, find things about it for which you can be thankful.  Not only will it change your outlook, but it will also change your attitude.