25 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8. Peace, Comfort, and Protection.

I know that my thankfulness posts seem to have been a bit negative so far. A few have been about awe and wonder, but some have been about being thankful in spite of negative happenings in our lives. This one is going to sound a little like that as well. I promise I will focus on more positive things soon, I just have to push past this section. Know everyone knows what it feels like to have a lot of darkness in your life at one point or another. Those are the times when thankfulness can bring you hope.

Sometimes we don't want hope. That sounds crazy right? Who doesn't want hope? With hope can come the potential for disappointment. If you hope you will get a certain something on Christmas, or that flowers will magically arrive for you on your birthday, there is also the potential for that not to happen. And you are relying on others to fulfill that hope for you. They could forget. They could be angry with you. They could decide you need something else more.

And so it is with God. Sometimes you pray, but you don't feel satisfied. You are pouring out your soul, but that ache or dread doesn't go away. I would like to throw an idea to you: you know what you want, but you are afraid God knows better. That His plan does not include what you want. And that is not comforting! But I was looking for some peace and comfort last night, and though it was hard for me, I've got a little to share with you. And I am thankful I have been given it to share.

I had some deep fears. But God is always with us. And his plan may not be what we desire. But no matter what, he is on our side. We will be protected. Protection may not mean that we are safe from bodily harm. But it does mean that if we rely on Him, we cannot be separated from Him. Trusting that means we can trust his plan. That brings peace and comfort along with the protection. It can be hard to trust God if you feel you have been let down before. That's where being a thinking Christian can help. You can decide to trust God even if your heart is afraid. After you make the decision, your heart will come around. I don't always recommend this tactic, but it works in this case.

It also works in other, smaller cases of thankfulness. You know you should be thankful for something, but you just don't want to be. Your heart has dug in its proverbial heels and doesn't want to budge. Go ahead and make the decision to be thankful. Let your actions be guided by this decision. Eventually your actions can persuade your heart, and you will truly be thankful.