At this time of year when many Americans focus more on being thankful than they do during the rest of the year, it’s hard not to wonder if being thankful is harder than it used to be.
Heck, everyone can see that the world doesn’t appear to be going in a very good direction, and being wary of what the future holds isn’t paranoia, it’s wisdom. But with all the uneasiness and uncertainty going around these days, the thankful card may not be as easy for some folks to play as it once was.
But at the same time, it’s easy to go on and on about all the things Americans have to be thankful for. Like the fact we almost all have cars to drive, big TVs to watch, and plenty of food to eat. Most of us have more than adequate clothing to wear, time for recreation and even some discretionary cash.
Nope, in the good ol’ U.S., daily life isn’t exactly hard. On the contrary, the biggest problems many Americans’ face involve things like picking the right roster for their fantasy football team, deciding whether to go with Asian or Mexican seasoning in the chicken casserole or figuring out what to do with the dog when they go out of state for five days.
But there’s something well beyond all that material stuff and worldly mumbo jumbo that should make everyone give thanks in a big way every day, not just in late November. And it’s not related to monetary gain or recognition among men, and it’s not a top-secret scheme only available to a handful of “the beautiful people.”
No, it’s way bigger than that, and far more important. It’s something with more value than anything anyone can suggest, but yet is automatically a major part of everyone’s lives.
What is it? It’s the fact that God is in control of literally everything in our lives. As the Bible says, He “works all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11).
How cool is that? Everything that happens goes down because God has made it that way. All of it. Not just part.
Sweet.
It’s extremely comforting knowing that the Creator of literally all things is in the driver’s seat. When you fully grasp that reality, it sort of takes the pressure off to “perform.”
Even if we don’t understand why every single thing happens the way it does in our lives, we can still take refuge in the realization that it all works for our good if we truly love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
And God didn’t just recently find Himself in control. He always been. And all the while, He has never changed the way He goes about things, and never will. He even tells us He doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8 and more).
Basically, we have a God who is all in all and who put all things under Him (1 Corinthians 15:28).
That, right there, is plenty to be thankful for – every day in every way.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
