Thankful for the Thorns

Give thanks in all circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5:18a

As we approach Thanksgiving, the thought of giving thanks might be difficult for many due to tough circumstances in their lives. With that in mind, I hope that this story is a blessing:

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied.

Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?"

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"

Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk. "I . . I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued.

"Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched - was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said, as she gently tapped her chest.

Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with . . . Uh . . . She left with no flowers!"

"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special.’ I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, ‘Why? Why me?!' It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God ." Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement . . . twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?" "Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life" Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too . . . fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant." Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns. God Bless all of you. Be thankful for all that the Lord does for you."Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God."

We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and Duct tape. God did it with nails.

Fertilizer

I have posted a couple of times now about a landscaping project that we began a month or so ago in our front yard (post 1 here, post 2 here).

This past weekend, my son Robbie and I were outside and we noticed that there were a ton of weeds in the area that we are growing new grass (see above picture) so we began to remove them. While doing this, Robbie asked me why there were all these weeds here and not in the rest of our lawn.

Great question I thought. I went on to explain that we put down a special fertilizer in the spring which helps to prevent weed seeds from germinating and that I made sure not to get that fertilizer on our new soil, otherwise, in addition to not having weeds we wouldn't have much grass either.

Then I had the opportunity to point out to him about how this is like our life. Without missing a beat he said, "I sense another devotional coming." He was right of course.

I shared with Robbie that our lives can get infested with "weeds" if we don't apply the proper fertilizer...
* Reading the Bible regularly
* Talking with God regularly
* Hanging out with other Christ-followers to hold us accountable
* Keeping a thankful heart

So remember to fertilize.

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

The Answer Is No

Do you ever feel like God's answers to your prayers seems to be "No" a lot more than "Yes"? Did you ever consider that He probably has a good reason for that?

It could be that what you are asking for doesn't line up with His will. Or it could be that He knows what is best for you (just like you do as a parent). I'll bet if you looked at some of your requests in the past, you can say, "I sure am glad He didn't give me what I was asking for then!"

No matter what, God has your best interests at heart at all times. Watch this short video for a glimpse of this.

Lord, help us to be "so be it" Christians - people who are joyful at all times - people who pray continually and people who are thankful in all circumstances!

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

Nature's Beauty

I have been mesmerized while driving around the past couple of weeks by the leaves in our area. They have been spectacular!

While riding with Connie, my wife, this weekend I asked, "Why don't leaves just fall to the ground without changing color? I mean, it doesn't seem like there is any reason they would need to change colors."

Connie said, "Maybe this is just one of the ways that God shows his love for us. Maybe He just wants to do this to the trees for our enjoyment and to remind us of Him."

I like that answer and that's what I'm going with! Now when I look at the trees it gives me another reason to give thanks to my Heavenly Father.

The Power Of Our Thoughts

A few days ago I wrote about our experience with our basement flood. There have been several times when my wife and I have found ourselves complaining because of the inconvenience of this, or because our insurance coverage was not enough to cover all the damage or because of...

Fortunately, we have not gotten too far down the path of despair because one of us will say something like, "Thank God that this happened during the day" or "Thankfully we weren't out of town when this happened!" (Had either of those scenarios occurred, we would have had a very serious problem on our hands). Once we start thinking more positively, our whole mindset changes. We no longer are feeling sorry for ourselves, but somehow we feel blessed.

It is incredible the power of our thoughts and our words. This is sometimes very difficult, but simply being thankful in the midst of our trouble can truly change our perspective. That is why I liked the above video so much. I hope you do too.

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

True Joy

Regardless of what language the woman pictured above speaks, you can tell she is happy...she has joy. I experienced this firsthand during a cab ride this past week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (where I was suffering for Jesus!).

Antonio was our driver and he looked to be about 60 years old. He was taking us from Le Kliff, an incredible restaurant to our resort. He spoke almost no English. However, a friend of ours who was with us speaks pretty good Spanish so he was able to carry on a conversation with Antonio over our 45 minute ride.

Though I didn't have a clue about what they were discussing, it became evident very early on that Antonio was full of joy. In fact, it was spilling over he was so full. He smiled constantly and laughed easily. I began to wonder about Antonio's spiritual beliefs and thought that the only way someone could have this much joy is if they knew Jesus (the joy of the Lord is your strength - Nehemiah 8:10b).

After interpretation from our friend, we learned that Antonio lived in a small house with 12 other family members (extended family included). He worked six days a week from 5 PM to 5 AM and didn't get much sleep because of all the people in his home. However, he was thankful to God everyday for the incredible blessing He has given him. He was always looking for ways to give thanks to God.

I believe Antonio was a Christian, but only God knows for sure. But one thing was certain. Antonio's abundant joy was a direct result of his thankfulness in all circumstances.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Change of Perspective

I have a busy day planned today. Just a couple of hours this morning in the office then I have 4 back-to-back appointments which will keep me out all day. As a result, I planned to get up early, work out, spend some time with God and get an early start to my work day.

My plans were interrupted during my prayer time when my son told me that he had gone back to sleep after he had turned off his alarm and he had missed the bus. I needed to take him to school. This only took 20 minutes but it seemed like it was an hour.

I fought off every temptation to tell him how disappointed I was and that this was really "messing up" my plans for the day. God reminded me that not many days go by in which I don't "mess up" His plans. Yet, He still loves me just the same.

After hearing that, I became very thankful that I have such an awesome son that I "get" to take to school. Thank you Lord!

Thankfulness In All Circumstances

I just had breakfast with a friend of mine. He and I act as accountability partners to one another. I help him to stay on track in life and he does the same to me.

He happens to be in a difficult season at work right now. He is having to travel pretty much every week for about a 3 month stretch. This is putting an increasing strain on his marriage and family life at home.

I have been there. It is very difficult to travel like that...it is exhausting because you have to be "on" all the time as you are with clients for much of the day. Then it is back to the hotel to catch up on work that needs done. Then it's back up the next morning to do it again. When there is tension at home it makes it that much more difficult.

What he said to me this morning was, "I am just very thankful I have this job and I am going to do the best I can and trust God that He is going to bless me and my family through this."

That is a great attitude.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thankfulness In All Circumstances

We are instructed in the Bible to give thanks in all circumstances. This is not something I frequently do well. However, this past weekend was an exception for some reason (perhaps it was because it was Thanksgiving weekend).

Friday night, Connie and I were watching a movie at home with Robbie, our son. All of a sudden, all of our smoke detectors throughout the house started going off. We quickly determined there was not a fire and we disconnected each of them so they would be quiet. They are all hard-wired into our house so this isn't as easy of a task as one might think. We then changed some of the batteries thinking that might be the issue and plugged them all back in. I don't know why, but they were all quiet.

This normally would have frustrated me, but this time I said to Connie, "I am so thankful this happened right now rather than when we were out and the kids were home alone or rather than 3:00 in the morning!" And, I truly was thankful.

The next morning, Robbie and I were headed downtown to the farmer's market to pick up some apples and cider. On the way, I decided to get my car washed. We pulled in, got out of the car and went to pay as my car went through the wash. At the end of the conveyor, I saw one of the workers frantically trying to start my car, to no avail. He then quickly got some help to push my car out of the way.

My battery had died.

However, they brought a car around and jumped it for me without incident. I then took it to a nearby Battery Wholesale who determined that all I needed was a new battery (no alternator). I got that replaced and we were on our way. I told Robbie, "I am so glad that just happened."

He said, "Why is that dad?"

I said, "Had we not gone to the car wash, we would have been stuck downtown in the cold with a dead battery. This worked out great."

I'm not sure what came over me, but I liked my attitude in these situations. If something like this can happen to me, that should give everyone hope.

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

Thankfulness

A young man named John received a parrot as an early Christmas gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and shoved him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued............”May I enquire as to what the turkey did?”

Before any of you start wondering if a similar tactic will work on your children, I want to remind you that we all have so much to be thankful for. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

You're Kidding, Right?

This morning I heard some more whining from an NFL player. This time it was from star wide receiver, Anquan Boldin from the Phoenix Cardinals.

He is wanting to be traded because he feels he is being treated unfairly. Here is what he said, "If I'm not going to be treated fairly, if my hard work and loyalty isn't going to be rewarded here, then let me go somewhere where it's going to be rewarded. That's how I feel," Boldin said.

Let me get this straight. Last year he signed a four year extension to his contract worth $22.75 million. He makes on average $4 million per year. He earns this whether he catches any passes or not. And he's not being treated fairly.

Whatever happened to being thankful, especially in the midst of such incredible wealth. Whatever happened to integrity and standing by the terms of a contract or agreement? Does anyone else find this ridiculous?

Thankfulness

Last night Robbie, my son, and I got our hair cut. Mary (who has been cutting my hair for years) and I used to work together at a local software company in the late ‘80s. Another coworker of ours at the time just got married this past weekend and Mary was telling me all about it.

Mary said that Mary Anne, the bride, was walking around telling everyone how thankful she was for them being there, for this day, for her new husband, and basically for just being alive. This didn’t surprise me one bit as Mary Anne may be the most optimistic, upbeat person I know. I don’t know anyone happier than Mary Anne – and not just because she is a newlywed – she has always been this way.

Most people who come into contact with her probably think that Mary Anne has led a charmed life and that things go her way all the time and therefore she is happy. However, I guarantee you that Mary Anne doesn’t always have “good” days. I can also promise you that she has had problems. But she chooses everyday to be thankful which helps her to be joyful, optimistic and upbeat. What great characteristics! And you know what…we can choose to be that way too…regardless of our circumstances!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thankfulness

Yesterday at CrossRoads, Pastor Mark told us we are rich. He said that a family who earns $50,000 or more per year is in the top 1% of all people worldwide in terms of wage earners.

He went on to say that being rich is not a bad thing, although becoming materialistic is not good. He then told us that we should all be very thankful. We get so caught up in chasing "stuff" that we oftentimes lose our sense of appreciation.

That afternoon at home, we smelled something burning in our house. It smelled electrical in nature. It seemed like it was coming from one of our bathrooms upstairs. We took swithchplates off and removed light fixtures but could find nothing. So we called 911.

The fire department came with a special camera which can detect heat, even behind walls. Although they could smell what we smelled, they couldn't find anything either. We even went to the basement to check the furnace.

We apprehensively went to bed last night not knowing how our evening would go. When I woke up at 5 this morning, it was freezing. Our furnace was not working!

But, I am so thankful--I truly am! I am thankful that we are all safe and our house is still standing. I'm thankful that the outside temperature isn't in the single digits like last week. And I am very thankful for our hot water heater working this morning!

We just spoke with the plumbing and heating company and they told us they believe it is the blower on our furnace. So I'm also thankful that we think we know the problem and it is fix-able.

Thank you for protecting and providing for us Lord!

Appreciation

Have you ever had anyone thank you for touching their life? I mean a truly heartfelt thanks? If so, you know how good that can make you feel.

Do you know what I think feels even better than that? Telling someone how much you appreciate them.

I challenge you to write a note, send an email or call someone and tell them how they have impacted your life. This will not only make their day, but you might be surprised how this picks you up.

Watch this 3 minute video. I promise you it will inspire you.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am very thankful for each and every one of you. I hope you enjoy your day!

Jim