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Thankful for What I Lost

by Elsie Schuett Flynn  
12/03/2008 / Christian Living

Psalm 100 -- A psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

God wants to provide for us always, to give us what we need. He also provides for our wants. We come before Him and make our requests known to Him. When we receive His blessings, we are thankful and acknowledge the gifts are from Him through His mercy and His mighty love for us. Not because we deserve them, but because He loves us. At this time of year, we might think about it more often because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

We generally give thanks for the things we have. The gift of Jesus and my salvation, good health, loved ones, faithful friends, prosperity and possessions are a few examples of what I am thankful for. However, this year I am giving thanks for things I don't have; things God has taken away from me.

1.0 Fear: I am no longer afraid of what will happen to me. I know that God is right there beside me. He keeps me safe in His loving arms, protecting me from all harm and evil. He will be with me, always. Difficult and painful events are going to happen. I'm going to go through times of discipline, just like any child does. Whatever it is, I know I won't be alone. I know He's going to be there right beside me, and when necessary, carry me through. When it is time for me to rest, I know that it will be for just a while. I will be called upon along with the others and we'll make the journey together with Jesus to be with our heavenly Father for eternity. Jesus told Nicodemus that whoever believes in God's son will not perish but will have everlasting life (John 3:16), and He said that those who are victorious like He was, those that hold on to their crown, will sit with Him on His throne just as He sat with His Father on His throne (Rev. 3:21).

2.0 Worry / Anxiety: There is simply no point in worrying. It accomplishes no good. It changes nothing and surely does not add a single day to your life. Worry is an expression of faltering faith. What outcome will be different by worrying and stressing over it? Not one. God allows difficult events in our lives. No one is exempt. Not even his own son, Jesus, was spared. The good thing is that we don't have to face these crisis alone. He is there for us, to comfort and strengthen us, and to bring us peace. Everything happens according to God's plan for us. He determines if things will go this way or that way.

3.0 Bitterness / Resentment: God has given me a way to overcome all of the bitterness I once had in my heart. He gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget. Because of His grace, I was able to forgive those who hurt me the most. I am free from the control they once had over me. If any one of them would come to me for help, I would do for them as God would lead me to; to extend love and compassion just as I would to anyone else. God loves them just as much as He loves me. What I do to the least of them, I do to him.

4.0 Importance of material possessions: "Stuff" I have no longer holds the same importance to me as it once did. I used to think I needed a lot of things, such as a dining room, an up-to-date kitchen, an additional bathroom, a four-wheel-drive vehicle, more jewelry, so on and so forth. We live in a society where a person's worth is measured by their possessions. Big houses, expensive automobiles; the boy with the most toys has the most friends. Praise God, He's shown me that everything here on earth is only temporary. Our real riches can be found only in Heaven. Anything that we put ahead of God is an idol. If you spend more time chasing after possessions than you do pursuing a relationship with Jesus, the possessions become idols. Anything that keeps us from God is an idol. That includes activities, and yes, even our job. Nothing can be more important than God. He wants to be first, above everything, before every one. Our first role in this life is as His children. Then we are spouse of s/he, or a parent, or a doctor, or a secretary or a student.

5.0 Control: I've always known I am a better follower than a leader. I can, and have been, in the control position over numerous situations and instances. I've had management positions in jobs that I've held. I can make sound decisions quickly when the need arises. I have the ability to effectively delegate responsibilities to others. I was allowed to take control of my own life when I moved out of my parents home at the age of 18. I still went back to them for support on a regular basis; however, I made my own decisions. I paid dearly for many of them. After I surrendered to God, everything changed. I heard about the concept of total submission. Of course I was apprehensive, but then I gave it a try. I held out my hands and said, "Here I am, Lord. I'm all yours. Use me to do your work. Do with me according to your will. Each morning, I give myself to Him again. Freely, willingly, eagerly and thankfully. Life has been so much easier. Life has been so much better. I let the Lord lead me in everything I do, and ask Him to control my thoughts and feelings, and to protect my heart from the evil one and what he tries to put in my head. I don't want to go through another day, not one, ever, without God being in control. I've become so dependent on Him, I can't and don't want to go it alone.

The changes in me are remarkable. I am so different than I was six months ago. All inward changes have been gradual and many more are yet to come, but the result so far shows a totally transformed person. He gave me the strength to quit smoking after 30 some years, and took away every desire for drugs and alcohol I once had. He's taken away doubt, jealousy, anger, envy, emptiness, loneliness, deceitful talk, prejudice and replaced them with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Thank you God for taking all of these away from me.

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