Be joyful, prayerful & thankful!

Sorry about the delay between the last posts. I've just begun working again, part-time & my body is struggling to cope with this change/increased activity. Over these difficult week, I've been greatly challenged on what it means to be thankful. Paul tells us:

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I don't know about you, but I struggle with this one. Particularly, when things are really bad & the depression sets in, I can't seem to stop feeling the pressures of loneliness & I end up focusing on all the things I will never get the chance to do or have because of my illness.

Friends, let me be honest with you. Being thankful & joyful is counter-cultural. Our world entices us to always be wanting & waiting for what we do not have & to pay any cost, even debt, to get what we want - in fact, it is exactly this premise that the entire world of advertising relies on. From morning to night, we are bombarded with images of what we "need" to be cool, accepted & to fit in. It is not uncommon to hear of people disappointed with their current lot in life because they don't own a house or the latest car etc. All of this is fueled from the idea that we deserve a certain standard of living. We are owed it. So when we do not get it, we are disappointed.
As sons & daughters of God, we know we don't deserve any good thing in our lives. If God gave us what we deserved on a daily basis, that would mean death as the wages of our sin are death (Rom 6:23). We know that every good, and wonderful thing in our life is ONLY because of the sheer grace of God, shown to us in Jesus because he died for us, while we were still sinners.

I hear you saying, 'That's all good in theory, but if you've seen how bad my life is, you wouldn't be able to do what Paul's asking us in this passage." I would like to say three brief things in response:

1. Paul suffered. 
He was tortured, beaten, imprisoned, persecuted, stoned & basically tormented for being a Christian (2 Cor 11:25-28). No one could say that Paul didn't know suffering.

2. Everyone finds this difficult. 
I guarantee that most people, if not everyone, has atleast at one point in their life, struggled to be thankful or joyful. I'm not saying that everyone suffers the same amount. I do believe some of us suffer more intensely than others but the struggle to be joyful amidst depressing circumstances is something all of us find hard.

3. Being joyful, prayerful & thankful are all connected. 
In all these things, I don't believe Paul is just asking us to change our actions ie. perhaps by pinning the sides of our mouths up so that we are always smiling or by setting aside more time for prayer. I think Paul's asking us here to change our attitudes and mindset.

By choosing to be joyful, prayerful and thankful we are acknowledging that life is not just about us fulfilling our own needs and wants. Our life is about giving glory to God. Paul tells us in Romans 9:21 that God chooses some clay for noble purposes and some for common use. In the same way, I believe God chooses some of us to be healed and some of us to remain chronically ill; both so that God might be given glory. Being a Christian involves letting God sit in the driver's seat, even if it looks like he's driving us off a cliff, & knowing and trusting that He will, in all things ,work for the good of those who love Him.

If we are thank God for the good things in our lives (even if you can only think of one), then we can praise Him for it, which reminds us that He is God and in control of all things. This helps us pray for the things we know are lacking & for strength to endure, trusting in God's provision for us. This knowledge of trust helps us find joy, because we know are infinitely cared for & loved.

Let me further explain in an example. Today, I feel miserably ill. My body aches all over & I wonder how much longer I can possibly go on. I slow down, breathe & thank God that He saved me; that I am His child & one day soon, I will be with Him forever in an eternity without any pain or illness. I pray for strength to survive the day & hope so that I can face the future God has already set before me. This gives me joy, not necessarily ecstatic happiness, because I know that I will never have to face a minute of this life without my God by my side.

Friends, this isn't a magic formula or a three-step-program. This is changing our habits & our thought processes. It's hard but if we try to heed Paul's advice in this matter, perhaps we can understand and one day say, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.... I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Phil 4:11b,13)