In Everything Give Thanks
Barbara Henderson
‘Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ Philippines 4:6
It was a dark and stormy night. The little child was actually alone in the
house. He was an only child. He was at that awkward age when society was no
longer definite regarding the proper age to be left alone. Some people felt as young as eight was fine
to be left alone for lengthy periods of time, but probably not over night. Others felt as young as ten was a proper age
to be left alone even for overnight.
Others felt that twelve was a proper age. Others felt that fourteen was old
enough. And then people with good sense
understood that even at twenty one years old children were seldom capable of
taking care of themselves on a dark and stormy night.
In addition to age there is also the
question regarding what evil lurks that a child or adult should cause anxiety
in a child or adult. For children there
seldom has to be a real reason to be anxious. OR – real from an adult’s
perspective. Dreadful and fearsome
things of the imagination are often very real to a child. The tiniest thing can
set off a sensitive child. As the mother
of a child prone to nightmares (some time back of course) I can tell you a
great deal of time was spent in trying to avoid anything with the slightest
hint of something that would bring on night terrors. Who knew that the cartoon ‘Grape Ape’ could
be fun to watch Saturday morning and cause screaming terror the following night? To my little one it was a very big deal. As the adults our view was something else
entirely. We knew beyond any doubt what
so ever that Grape Ape was not going to come to the house during the night and
terrorize the family and crush the house into splinters.
To grown ups the fear was groundless. But our child’s fear was something we paid
attention to. We KNEW there was nothing
real in her nightmares to fear. But our
child didn’t know. So we developed
things we did at bed time to help sleep to come while good thoughts were being
poured over the room. We sang happy
songs and Jesus Loves Me until we lost our voice or simply wore out and fell
asleep. Eventually childish nightmares
passed into oblivion and real adult fears took their place. Our sweet little one is now concerned with
paying bills, health problems, world peace, liberality in the church, job
security, wars and rumors of wars, economic disaster, and other things of equal
importance.
But, just how big are these
worries? The answer is starring us in
the face, but just as hard to believe sometimes as it was for our child to
believe that Grape Ape was not coming to destroy the house. Let’s put it very simply. As born again children of God we are looking at
our problems through the eyes of a child.
I don’t believe we have the capacity to fully understand just how small
they really are. We are dreading things
that just aren’t that bad once they happen.
From our limited view death is the ultimate horror most of the time, but
for believers it is just a move from a place of imperfection to a place of
perfection. In my current situation –
stage 4 ovarian cancer – moving on to heaven involves two very dreadful
things.
The first is to leave my family and the
sorrow they will have to go through.
The second is the suffering that goes
along with getting sick enough to actually die.
I have seen people linger, and it is very hard on everyone. See
the end of this article for a short article on the benefits of a lingering
illness. Within my limited capacity
I do know and understand that the sorrow and worry of this life are
temporary. Death of a loved one who is
in Christ is just the shadow of death. I
often consider that shadow of death, and it causes me to consider how horrible
beyond description is the second death which is to be separated from God and
all goodness in a place of torment for eternity. Having faced the death of close loved ones
and friends I know the horror of losing someone. I have only lost professing believers, so I
expect to see my loved ones in heaven.
But I sometimes can’t get it out of my head that their loss is only the
shadow of death. It is beyond
comprehension.
However, as adults, we are still anxious
or ‘careful’ for the future. We don’t
know what is coming or how we are going to handle it. We don’t have a way to pay the future bills.
We don’t have a way to cure that illness or get a better job or anything else
for that matter. We have things we can
do such as give everything out best efforts.
Beyond that, the outcome is in the Lord’s hands. How are we as adults supposed to cope with
the hardships that are coming tomorrow?
It is it really possible to both lay me down in peace and sleep?
I
will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in
safety.
Psalm 4:8
With some effort and determination on
your part it is possible. As usual the
Bible has instructions on how to proceed.
If you want to make a slightly belated New Year’s Resoluction let it be
to become a person who is thankful to the core of you being.
The key word here is ‘in’. The Bible
says to give thanks in every situation.
It doesn’t say give thanks ‘for’ every situation. There are those who argue
that we should be thankful for the sorrow and hardships, and I will admit that
some very difficult times bring about blessings that you would have missed
otherwise. But, when at the beginning of
a sorrow or difficulty it is most important to just be thankful for the things
that are going right and for the good things God does for us daily. In other words, count your blessings. Name them one by one.
‘Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God.’ Philippines 4:6
When my 33 year old sister died
unexpectedly I was immediately thankful that she was saved. I know that heaven sometimes seems like it is
a million years away, but never the less, heaven is real, and it is there with
room for all believers. There will be a
real and literal reunion with Christ our Savior and all our saved friends and
loved ones.
But there are daily benefits for which
we should be sincerely thankful. In
thankfulness we overcome fear and anxiety.
If you are having trouble finding things
that should bring about thanksgiving on your part, you may be depressed. (I am not talking about during the immediate
aftermath of a death or tragedy.) If you
have given yourself at least a little time to recover from a disaster – whether
a sudden or lengthy disaster, then you likely are depressed to some
extent. Personally, I have been dealing
with stage 4 cancer for nearly four years now.
I find that an anti-depressant helps me physically. I am not really emotionally depressed. In fact, I am for the most part pretty
cheerful. I would rather joke around
than cry. I learned from my sister’s
death. You never know who is going to
live the longest, or who will have the best health. Never-the-less, I am so fatigued most of the
time it is difficult to get out of bed.
Believe it or not – the anti-depressant makes the difference. So, my body is physically depressed, and the
anti-depressant helps me. If you think
you need one see a doctor and ask. The
one I am on is very mild, and easy to get off of. I was actually off it for a year, but then
the cancer overcame the anti-cancer drug I was taking. Now I am on a strong new anti-cancer drug
that is as bad as chemo for causing fatigue and nausea. (No hair loss – Lynparza)
I do not think everyone who is sad or in
a bad mood is depressed, but because it is a real and treatable issue I did
want to mention it.
Most of the time choosing a cheerful
attitude is what you need. And in
choosing cheerfulness you ultimately choose to be thankful. Think on the following.
Reasonably clean air to breath, water to
drink, and food to eat.
Very healthy to still alive and kicking –
there are usually some people far worse off than you. It is just a comparison of misery. Once you choose cheerfulness you have pity
for all who suffer (including yourself) and you pray for them.
Most important – somewhere in the midst
of the blessings of food, shelter, and health, you have heard the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. You are saved. You are going to heaven. It is really funny that while we cling to
this life as so precious, we also look forward to the life of perfection
awaiting us in heaven.
If that doesn’t help you cheer up regardless
of your circumstances then you probably have one of two problems. You are likely either depressed or sporting a
bad attitude. (I’m sorry – I know that
is blunt. Believe me – I talk to my own
self the same way. I say ‘Barbara,….blah
blah blah – and I can usually adjust my thinking That is something I have learned to do over
time. I am still working on perfecting
it. But you have to start somewhere.)
I am sure that I read a couple of books
several years ago regarding dealing with Chronic Fatigue. The author said if all the healthy life changes
and vitamin pills aren’t working then you have to take an anti-depressant. I paid him no mind – but I wish I would
have. I don’t have symptoms of
depression that I normally think of when I think of depressed. Anyway, I think the author was Jacob Teitelbaum,
but please don’t quote me on that. I
want to give proper credit, but I just can’t remember for sure.
Personally, I thank God for whatever is
going on as I go through my day. I thank
Him for the chemo like pills, and all the prescription drugs, and all the
vitamin pills, and especially for the anti-acids, and on and on and on. I thank
Him for indoor plumbing several times a day, as I have been in places where
that was not available. I than Him for
running water, since I have been where hauling water was a way of life. My grandparents had running water by the time
Jerry and I got married, but no indoor plumbing until my husband and my other
grandad and quite a few other family members got together and but in an indoor
bathroom. Electricity? We have that too, and I am very
thankful.
Please don’t think I am letting you know
how thankful I am. What you are thankful
for as you go through your day will probably be different. I am thankful when the car starts. I am thankful when the heater and AC work! My
husband is a certified master mechanic – and I have basically had dependable
transportation my entire life. But in our auto repair business I saw so many
people that were struggling to just keep good brakes on a car that started most
of the time. (Let me give a buzz word
for those not mechanically inclined – ‘preventative maintenance’. Necessary car repair comes before everything
except beans and rice and the mortgage payment.
That will put you on the road to dependable transportation as a norm in
your own life.)
Developing a thankful attitude will be a
blessing to you personally. Do you like yourself better when you are thankful
or whiney? It will also be a blessing
to those around you. Would you rather be
around a whiney or thankful person.
When I write an article like this I always
want to avoid hurting those who are in the middle of a heart break. I am not taking your hurt lightly. I do understand that are times when just
being thankful for heaven is all we can manage.
If you are at a place where a flood of tears is necessary ten times a
day then cry as needed. If in the midst
of grief you have moments where you feel semi-normal and are able to enjoy
something even for a minute, then go ahead and do that. Don’t get stuck in the miry clay of eternal grief. Moving forward as you are able is the right
thing to do.
And
let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in
one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15
Make peace with God. Repent of what is bothering God in your life,
and then tell Him about what is bothering you.
This will make a thankful heart much easier.
Make
a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve
the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know
ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter
into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful
unto him, and bless his name.
5 For
the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all
generations.
Psalm
100
Memorize this Pslam and apply it’s
teaching to your life. Remember to
present music to the Lord that pleases Him and praises Him – not music and
singing that pleases you or makes you ‘feel good’ although a by product of
music and singing pleasing to God will likely make you feel good. Just don’t make praising the Lord about
yourself.
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Second article - it is short
The Benefits of a Lingering Illness
Barbara Henderson
The
bible says our God loads us with daily benefits.
Blessed
be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psalm
68:19
Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Pslam
103:2
What
shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?
Psalm
116:12
The daily benefits do not stop because
of a prolonged illness in a loved one, a friend, or even our own self. God doesn’t stop caring for us, and He does
not stop being in control. There are
benefits that go along with illness.
It
gives the sick person time to get their affairs in order.
They may recover or not. Their affairs will still be in order. They have time to consider heaven and get rid
of any doubts about their own salvation.
It
gives the family time to accept what is happening.
It is not a pleasant experience, but it
is no better or worse than an unexpected loss.
IF someone has a lingering illness it gives the family time to adjust to
some extent. The final loss is still a
shock, but it is somewhat better prepared for, at least from my experience.
It
gives family time to consider their own eternal destination.
Lost family members cannot escape their
own mortality while looking at someone they love facing a possibly terminal
illness.
It
gives an example to those you come in contact with regarding your own Christian
faith and possibly point them to Christ.
Through an illness you meet people you
would not have otherwise met. The
examples of the sick person and the family can be a witness to professional
care givers and medical staff.
What
you do matters in sickness or in health.
What a family does in a time of crises
matters. As Christians we are still
supposed to be more like Christ. How we
face our own mortality or that of a family member matters. Some people, family or others, will be
affected by our actions and attitude.
