Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:18).1
Today is a day we set aside to give thanks for every blessing lavished upon us from God above. I am truly thankful for a great many things. I am so appreciative of my mom and sister who have been a great support to me though this year. They kept me going forward in more ways that anyone could imagine, and if it were not for their kindness, I would certainly be in dire straits.
I am grateful for my Christian friends and acquaintances who have supported me through their prayers. Even through I am miles away from the folks in Cali, I am glad that we can still be connected, if only though social media. If the Lord opens up a way, I’ll be seeing you soon. We are still going to have some good times in days to come!
I am also thankful to the Heavenly Father who pours out upon us every good and perfect gift from heaven.
The COVID pandemic has certainly upturned my world. Just last Christmas I was out in Cali and hanging out with family and friends, and only a few months after I returned to Charlotte everything shut down. I even had to go in for a test in the summer as a precaution for being in close proximity to someone who had been exposed. (Test felt like getting a brain tickle). Fortunately, the test came back negative. Finding out a relative had passed from COVID was also another downer. But I also mourn the loss of other family members who passed away from other ailments. These are some turbulent times.
All these afflictions are constant reminders of how limited is my control over things. I can take precautions to carry out my daily routines, but how long will the storm last, and whether or not more troubles are on the way, I cannot tell. This is a very humbling circumstance. The Apostle Paul also experienced unrelenting afflictions but tells us:
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
I am weak. I am unable to move the universe to make all circumstances come out to my own benefit. Nevertheless, I believe in the almighty and sovereign God who reigns over this universe. Nothing ever happens that is outside God providence. I am weak, but whatever troubles befall me, I face them with God on my side.
God is my source of hope. It is in this present moment that the awareness of my own mortality is amplified. How fragile is life! The cutting of the silver cord can happen at any moment. I might be fooled for a season by some transhumanistic idea that if I just maintained healthy eating and sleeping habits, along with other lifestyle changes for maximizing wellness that I could prolong my life, perhaps indefinitely (not that diet, sleep, and exercise are worthless, they are beneficial to an extent, though they never really grant us immortality. The reality of the situation is this: whether a virus or something else, I will die of my last illness. If there is any good news that comes out of this it is tethered to the one who died and rose again — Jesus Christ.
Christ resurrection gives me hope for my resurrection to eternal life. Paul puts it this way:
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Cor. 15:51-53)
I thank the Heavenly Father for giving the hope of everlasting life through Jesus Christ, which is made known to us through the ministering of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
— WGN
Sing praises to the Lord,
O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
(Psa. 30:4-5)
- All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), unless noted.
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