Being Thankful During Moments of Brokenness
I am a true optimist. I see the glass as half full, and I think on the bright side. I prefer to be positive rather than consider the 101 ways something can go wrong. Yet, no one is exempt from the pain of life. As Christians, we will be tested and tried in a variety of ways. Multiple times in 2 Corinthians, Paul mentioned the weight that afflictions can have on our lives. A couple of examples are in chapter 1, verses 8 -11, and chapter 4:8-9. Our lives are filled with moments where the Devil will try to steal, kill, and destroy whatever joy, hope, and peace, or love we desperately desire or to which we may be clinging.
In those moments, I have a few tricks to get me back to a place of gratitude. I do things like pray, listen to relevant sermons, talk to trusted people who I know will encourage me, and listen to gospel music. But there is one thing that instantly puts me in a state of gratitude.
I have three songs about thankfulness that cause me to reflect on my life and instantly changes the heaviness in my heart. The first two are Walter Hawkins songs. “Thank You Lord,” preferably the extended version where other singers put their own passion into the song, and “Be Grateful.” The third song is a hymn called “Thank You, Lord.” It’s a very simple song with repetitive lyrics like “thank you, Lord,” “you’ve been so good,” and “you made a way.” God inhabits the praises of His people and when our praises go up, the blessings of God come down. When we meditate on God’s goodness, He freely gives us the love, joy, hope, peace, and others things that we cannot give ourselves.
So how can we be thankful during times of brokenness? We find ways that get our mind off of what’s going wrong in our lives and gets us to thinking about the things of God that He chooses to freely give us; more hope, love, joy, peace and the things of Heaven.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What helps you be grateful during times of brokenness?
2. Try all the methods mentioned above. Even if one does not help in your current situation, keep trying different methods at different times. I’ve learned God uses different ways to speak to us at different times.
