A different kind of Thankfulness

"Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 This is one of the most quoted verses of scripture this time of year. But do we actually take it for what it means? Many of you that know me, know that I don't like to do things that have already been done. So this Thanksgiving season I want to do something I have never seen. I want to share some things I am not thankful for but should be. Now before you close the page or think I have lost my mind please hear me out. Today was the funeral for one of the students killed last Monday (In Memory of...). As I sat there looking at all the confused and heartbroken people I really wondered where the "silver lining" was. Now I know that God has a master plan and that everything happens as part of His perfect will for our lives, but in a room full of heartache it is hard to see the light. But eventually I did.

1. I am thankful for funerals

As many of you know I did my first memorial service last Saturday. And I want to take a second and say thank you to all those who prayed for me. I know it was only through God's strength that I made it through it. One thing I knew going into it was there were going to be students and adults there that did not have a relationship with Christ. I also realized that maybe that service was the closest they would ever come to stepping foot inside a church. Today at the funeral I know there were also people who would never show up to any church on Sunday morning. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to share the Gospel and saving power of Christ with those people at the memorial service. I am thankful that the pastor who officiated the funeral today shared the message and saving power of Jesus Christ to the crowd. For many people it was the first time they have heard the importance that a relationship of Christ has on their life (earthly and eternal). In times of loss and heartache people are looking for something or someone to help, so today for the opportunity to offer a relationship with Christ to those who need Him.

2. I am thankful for broken homes

This might be the one that shocks people the most, but please hear me out. In our small youth group I venture to guess that 75% (if not higher) of the students come from a single parent or divorced household. Guys that is 30 out of 40 students. But that is in God's perfect plan. Because they have parents that have left them or abandoned, I can share the fact that our Heavenly Father will never leave or abandon us. I can also use their ideas of what a family is, to paint a much grander picture of the greatness of the family of God. On the same hand, I am also thankful for the families that are whole. I am thankful for parents that teach what it means to love. I am thankful for the example they have set for not only their students but all the students. The hope these families provide is that there is such thing as a happy family.

3. I am thankful for bad examples

I speak mostly of the bad examples in the Bible. The stories of Saul (before he was Paul), King David, Cain, Abimelech, Delilah, and Manasseh just to name a few. This last summer we had a "Bad Summer" in our youth group. Each week we took a story about someone who made a big mistake in the Bible. We also looked at how we can avoid making those types of mistakes today. I know I learned a lot from the people we might call "evil" in the bible. So today I am thankful for the bad examples that have been set before me, so that I can learn from those and be a better person, a better Christian, a better husband, and a better leader. I am also thankful for those who have set good examples that I can base my life around.

4. I am thankful for my lacking

In times where I lack, I find that God provides. Today I am thankful for those times in my life where I really had to test my faith and rely on God. The example that comes to mind is when I first took the position of Student Minister at FBC Lead Hill. Not even a month after I started here (my first full-time church) the pastor stepped down. It was a messy situation. I was fresh out of college and had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I did know who was on my side. I cannot count the times I was in a situation where I had no answers, but God did. I cannot count the hours that I prayed for guidance in a church that was in turmoil. And because of all that my faith grew. Now we have a pastor that has been here a year and our church is growing, and still everyday I pray for that same guidance. I faced situations that some people have to wait 5 or more years to exposed to. Out of it I gained skills that are going to help me the rest of my ministry career. I have my feet a little firmer on the ground now, but I still realize that no matter how well of a job I can do, God can do one better.

5. I am thankful for the future

I am thankful not that I have a future but that God knows what He has in store for me. I know He has things planned that are far beyond my wildest dreams. I also know that I am not going to like all that He has planned for me. Today I am thankful that I do not have to stress out about my future. I know that I am in good hands with God. If He decides that tomorrow is my last day on this earth I will be overjoyed to begin my eternal life rejoicing with Him. If He decides that I have 80 more years here, I will be happy to share His name everywhere I go and bring glory to Him in all that I do. I guess what I a really am saying is not only today but everyday, I am thankful for God.


Tyler