“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The original celebration of Thanksgiving was held by Pilgrim settlers in December of 1621 during the second winter of their time in America. During the first winter while in Massachusetts, forty-four of the original one-hundred and two colonists died. Their daily food rations had gone down to five kernels of corn apiece. Then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, and they were able to trade beaver pelts for grain thus ending their severe need for food. The following summer’s crops were much better and because of this, Governor William Bradford, who was Governor of the Plymouth Colony, declared December 13, 1621, to be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show their gratitude to God for keeping them alive. From then on, Thanksgiving was celebrated as a day to give thanks and praise to God for His great and sufficient provision. Then in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November to be a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our gracious God. Then finally in 1941, Congress ruled that going forward, the last Thursday in November would be a legal holiday observed as Thanksgiving Day.
Now, in February of 2018, the company I worked for over fourteen years decided to consolidate all computer processing into one place based in Amsterdam. Because of this they eliminated various computer positions, and it finally was my turn. I did receive twenty weeks’ severance with the continuation of my health insurance, but it was not what I had hoped for. My plan was to retire in July of 2019 with decent retirement savings while preparing for the next phase of my life, which I wanted to be some form of full-time ministry. However, because no-one was hiring I decided to look for contract work and came across a six month contract with a financial company, writing and updating finance programs. This company was located in Evansville, Indiana and focused on personal loans.
In the fourth month of this six month contract, my wife came for a couple weeks to celebrate Thanksgiving with me, and we ordered a complete holiday meal from a nearby restaurant, and it was quite delicious. We talked about what we were thankful for, which is a tradition we held for Thanksgiving Day just after the meal. But I am going to be honest; I did not feel all that thankful due to my circumstances.
My first couple of weeks were incredibly tough. There were no projects for me to work on, and I spent my time trying to stay busy. I went out on their computer system to acquaint myself with how things were done, but after a while, there was not much more to see. Besides, much of it was protected so I had limited access. I began wondering why I was even there since there was not enough work to go around. I began getting frustrated with my situation and that frustration slowly turned toward God. Then work started picking up, which made being there much easier. Outside of work, I found a church to attend and also became involved in several fellowship groups. However, my disappointments regarding expectations I had were overshadowing everything else. It seemed that my dreams were fading away.
Throughout this process, I was struggling with sleep. I found myself waking up between 2 and 3 AM every morning. I would lay there doing everything I could think of to go back to sleep, but to no avail. I would just think about how things just were going downhill quickly. One night I felt compelled to pray. However, the focus of my prayers was on ‘why’. Why was I here? Why is this happening? Why can’t I pursue my dreams? I never actually prayed those words, but they were in the background. I knew He heard them whether I said them or not.
This pattern continued for several weeks. I found myself having more peace, which was exactly what I needed. Then God started dealing with me. He was not harsh or mean, but gentle and kind. He made it clear this may not have been my plan, but it was His plan. I was not ready for this calling. Ministry is so much more than I could ever have known, and He showed me this very clearly. He opened my eyes to the struggles many people were going through.
One of those was a man named John. I met him on the street outside of a Starbucks near our apartment. He was sitting on a small stool asking for help, so I bought a Burger King lunch for him. He was also given a small bag of groceries by two young ladies. He seemed shocked, but as we were leaving he called out to us ‘God Bless You’. After that I saw him several other times at the Starbucks where he would be sitting outside with a cup of coffee. I always made it a point to shake his hand if I saw him, and then sit with him, just talking. I would buy him something if he wanted and if I had any cash I would give him some. He knew no one in the area, except a kind man who was fixing up houses across the street, allowing him to stay in one of those houses. He at least had a place to get out of the cold. No one paid any attention to him, so God told me to go to him.
There was also a young lady a couple of doors down who was struggling with some health issues. She would flirt with me’ but I made it clear I was married, but I would help her out as a friend. Once, she asked me if I could drop her off somewhere, which I did. Turns out it was a medical office, and after she got out of the car, she said she had a way back but appreciated me taking her there.
This is just two of many lessons God showed me while in Evansville. There were so many that it is difficult to list them all. My point is I did not know why He had me in Indiana, but it turned out to be much more than I anticipated. My dreams seemed so big, but they were small compared to what God had in store for me. One thing I did learn was to be thankful for everything He does or allows, even if it is not what I desired. Everything God brings our way is something to be thankful for. We may see it as disappointing, but we must always give Him thanks because there is a reason why God brought us there.
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” Ephesians 5:18-21.
We must always remember whatever He allows, whether we think it is bad or good, will be for our good.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
We, like the Pilgrims did, have a choice. In life there will always be those things we find difficult and complain about (remember, the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for. As our society becomes increasingly worldly, the actual “giving thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being overlooked by the world, leaving only the feasting. May God grant that He may find us grateful every day for all His gifts, spiritual and material. God is good, and everything He gives or allows will bring forth some good, and we must give thanks for it as such, no matter how hard it is. God has a purpose for it, and often He has chosen us to do the work. And we must be willing and thankful while fulfilling this calling He gives us.
Be First to Comment