Thankfulness
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.”
When we are thankful to God, it is not just a polite “thanks.” Our thankfulness is an outpouring of praise to God for who He is and what He has done. We need to be grateful for ALL that He has done, whether we see it as good or bad. God’s ways are beyond our understanding. The world sees many disabilities and afflictions as inferior, inadequate, and imperfect. Our temporal society marginalizes, manipulates, and misuses God’s wonderfully made children. Those afflicted are stigmatized and casted away as useless by both society and the church. We feel discarded and discouraged. God’s design is perfect; the world obscures our thoughts with lies, but God sent a Helper through the grace of His Son, the Holy Spirit.
Radically, the Holy Spirit dwells in us after salvation. He is always with us to guide us, to comfort us, and to encourage us. The Holy Spirit helps us to absorb the contentment in God’s perfect creation and plan for us. I thank God and praise Him every day for what He has done by carefully weaving Bipolar and Aspergers into my DNA. I thank and praise God for my journey from birth to the present day, the blessings and struggles. I thank and praise God that He chose me before creation to be a part of His family and His mission. My afflictions are to reveal His glory and to give Him glory. (John 9:1-3) It has not been easy to thank and praise Him every day, but I do, even through the storms. As Christians, we should all thank God and pour out praises for who He is and what He has done – every day!