A woman once told me to write down everything I didn’t like about my life and then to thank God precisely for those things. She said that the command to “be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) wasn’t just about good things. It was about proclaiming God’s sovereignty, power, love, goodness, and provision in all circumstances.
Surely not. Surely she was mistaken.
I’ve come to understand she wasn’t mistaken; there’s always something to praise God for, always, because God is always at work, making beauty and goodness out of disasterous fragments.
He can rearrange anything into art. This I know, so I thank Him for even the broken things. This is God’s will for me and you. Perhaps this is the great calling on our lives that surpasses career, ministry, or important acts.
Our ability to remain thankful is indeed God’s will for us all. I pray for the supernatural power to live out this calling.