"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Sisters in Christ,
Fall is upon us, the time we celebrate the changing colors of the landscape, the harvest of crops, and Thanksgiving. It's the best time of year to consider all the things we are grateful for. In Hawaii, we might not be able to see the visual changes of the season, but we can still trust and know that it is Fall.
Thanksgiving is a time we reflect on our many reasons to be grateful. God calls us as Christians to not just give thanks at Thanksgiving, but to “give thanks in all circumstances”. We might think we should be thankful only for the good things, things like our family, our health, our successes, our friends. But we know that God doesn’t say be thankful in the good things, again He says, “Give thanks in all circumstances”.
Just like we sometimes can’t see the changing colors to show that Fall is upon us, we might not always see the things God is doing, or the ways we can or should be truly grateful. In Luke 7:36-50, we see a woman holding firm to her reasons for gratitude, a woman who saw God in the flesh and had her life changed, forever. There were no outward indicators of what changes were happening in her heart and life. In fact, even the religious people around her called her a “sinner” that Jesus should be weary of.
This woman knew and believed that a new season was upon her; a season of change and the hope of a new life and purpose in Christ. She believed and trusted in the changes that Jesus was working in her life, and as a result, she poured out her tears on His feet in gratitude. Though the room around her smeared her name and pointed out her past, this woman clung to the feet of the One who forgave her much, the one who allowed her to love much. She gave thanks in all circumstances and poured out her life savings in gratitude on the feet of the King of her life.
I pray that we hold fast to Jesus’ working in our lives, whether it is obvious or seemingly unseen. Let’s encourage our Sisters around us to give thanks to the One who has forgiven us of so much, to hold firm to our faith in Christ Jesus, and to live in God’s will for us. We can give thanks always and in all things to God, as we trust that Jesus is moving in our lives in every season.
In His grace,
Jaime Angel