Just Say Thanks!
Just Say Thanks: Cultivating Gratitude Deepens Intimacy With God is a book by R.T. Kendall, published in 2005. On one of my last walks in Nebraska, I found it in one of those neighborhood lending libraries common in white-people places (19th Ave and 41st St., I think). When I saw the title, I knew it was for me, because God was impressing the importance of giving praise and thanks in all circumstances. It was like it was placed there for me. People often wonder what God's voice sounds like. Well, it's like a strong thought, and it aligns with the Word. (Not all strong thoughts are aligned.) It takes some practice to hear it properly, but once you are attuned and trust it's Him, it becomes easier.
Anyway, praise and thanks in all circumstances. I was following through with doing so, even though I didn't feel thankful. It's good when our feelings are in line with what we're doing, but it's not always possible. Praise and giving of thanks is an act of our will. Eventually, our feelings get in line. I think of our feelings as sort of a shadowy, ephemeral substance. They should not be trusted to make decisions but sometimes tell you when you're in danger, so be aware of what they are saying. But don't stay in them too long.
Considering all the changes I went through over the last year, it's important to pause and take a moment to praise and thank God. I do this every day in as many circumstances as I can, even the ones that seem awful or unexpected, as that's what the Word directs. Praise should not be confined to worship services; it should carry through our lives.
The book explains a little bit of how praise and gratitude take bad situations out of our hands and turn them into something meaningful in God's hands. It's nothing short of a miracle. It's part of how God works. What we give Him — whether good or bad — He uses to His glory. And often to our astonishment. If there is something ugly or awful in your life or a situation you don't know what to do with, please give it to the Lord. Thank and praise Him for it every time you think of it. Don't let the devil bother you with it. (But, if he does, say, "Thank you for reminding me. I meant to give that to the Lord.") Watch what happens.
I'm still in the middle of figuring my new life out. I can't say, "Hey, this is great. I see what God did there." But the habit of praising and thanking Him is in place. Every time I think of complaining, I submit to that directive. It relieves me from being in control, for one thing, and it frees God up to do what He needs to do. I repented so many times of the moments when I was weak or complaining. I don't want to be that way. So many times I felt sick, not just because of the speed and intensity of life changes, but because of how I reacted to them. If anyone thought I should have reacted differently, I wonder how they would have fared, had they been in my shoes.
The book has some things I don't agree with. He suggests at one point that the 9-11 attacks on this country were akin to God's judgement on latter-day Babylon. Babylon is not the United States. The Babylonian system is a religious system, and you can't stretch it to fit the U.S. I'm sorry; I've seen the arguments. They are incorrect. It is absolutely the Roman Catholic system, which goes back to Babylon and beyond. That system (of which Islam is the military arm) is responsible for more hell on earth than any country that ever existed. God will judge her someday, and I will cheer with the rest of the saints.
The last chapter caught in my chest, as it describes things I've been feeling. I am closer to heaven than ever before, and my thoughts are regularly wrapped up in where I will soon reside for eternity. If I could jump out of my skin and be there, I would, God willing. I know when I get to heaven, I will grieve the things I didn't do here for God. I will lament I didn't do more, more, more, because Jesus did everything for me. My heart breaks that I didn't do more in my nearly 48 years. I regularly pray that God will give me more, and I accept that's why I'm still here. Life is a gift, not to be spent on ourselves, but to be bled out for the Lord. He gave everything for me. I choose to do as much as possible for Him. With every breath and every spare moment, I seek to fill it with prayer and thanksgiving.
Then there's the Conclusion section. It tells the story of a missionary who was overseas for many years and returned home the same time as Teddy Roosevelt. I heard this story many times, and it makes me cry every time. I won't spoil it by trying to explain. You just have to read it yourself.
No, I have not given up my faith, though I was given many reasons to do so. If anything, my faith (which is a gift and doesn't depend on me at all) has deepened and grown, anchoring me in Jesus. You wonder,"What about all the blows you've been dealt? Why don't you give up?" The things I was dealt in life, though ugly and sometimes preventable, brought me closer to Christ. I had literally no one but God most of my life. My health is in God's hands. (I still have daily "episodes." Maybe because I do all the things I'm not supposed to, like vigorous exercise.) My time is according to His plan. I spent my whole life toiling, but God is amazing, and all the hate and nonsense directed at me will only make eternity with God sweeter.
Folks, I am a mess. My life was a mess, made so mostly by me. But, now more than any other time, I am not in control. He brought me here for a reason, though I don't understand. It's important to trust the Lord, even when it doesn't make sense. Even if it goes counter to what you desperately want. And thank Him for every redirection, every pause, and everything that doesn't make sense. It will make sense eventually. I am the most humble I've been in my entire life (and still have a ways to go). I'm the most flexible to the Lord's will as I've ever been. The last year or so broke something big in me, and I am not the same. Through it, God's directive was to continue to thank and praise Him in all circumstances. It was hard, and I was angry so many days (but repented of my sour attitude), and, honestly, it consumed me. But God has reasons for breaking, redirecting, and isolating us. It's all according to His plan, which has been in place since before the world began.
If you're in any of those situations I described, you are in good company. No one who walks with God will go unbroken, untested, untried, unrefined. Cheer up, saints of God, because God is doing something that will take your breath away.
Thank you for reading. And God bless.
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