Is it November already? You might be asking this because of my focus on giving thanks. I assure you it's only March.

However, my verses for the year are I Thessalonians 5:16,17, and 18, and I've been rotating through them.  This month, I've landed on verse 18 which deals with thanksgiving.

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

As I was mulling these words over, I realized a truth about this command. In this verse, the Lord tucked a wonderful tool we can use in times of trouble and hardship.

By giving thanks to the Lord, we open the door to an oasis of hope in the middle of our crisis. Whatever the crisis might be.

It allows us to remember God's goodness and his faithfulness. It helps us to anchor our thoughts and emotions in Jesus and not let fear and anxiety consume us.  It's the consuming that we are avoiding, not the crisis.

Because life is messy, people I love and care about face so many difficulties. But our loving Father has given us a way to stay anchored even when the waves of circumstances are beating against us and dragging us down.

The tool: Giving Thanks.

Hard to do? Yes.
Will it change our circumstances? No.

But it will change our hearts. And that's the business God is in.

Finding God's Beautiful Pieces of Grace,
bym

www.bonitaymccoy.com