Thankful Thursday

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Due to yesterday being a national, Muslim holiday, we got the day off school. It was nice to sleep late and head in to work around lunch time and then work the rest of the day at my own pace - taking breaks when I wanted, visiting with students hanging out outside my classroom, having a long Skype chat with a friend, and just enjoying the day without having to hurry back and forth between classes and making copies and doing all the other things I normally do on a daily basis while following a set schedule.

I was reading my devotions yesterday morning and it referred me to the verses in the picture above. And even though I've read these verses many, many times, it was as if I was seeing them for the first time. God really opened my eyes to see them so much more clearly yesterday - and that's carried over to today.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, Be joyful always. I'm thankful for the things that brought me joy yesterday, like...

• being able to sleep late and NOT have to set an alarm for a change.
• the sound of a student knocking on my classroom door because she saw me inside working and wanted to stop and say hi and tell me about something exciting she was doing later in the day.
• the Facebook status, posted by my dad, telling how he was making a trip to Wal-Mart. This meant he's 1) doing better and 2) able to walk around for longer periods of time.
• the 2 videos of my niece that my brother emailed me yesterday. One was of her giggling up a storm, enjoying herself, playing with a pair of sunglasses. The other was of her sitting in the car seat chatting away, telling her Daddy who was driving all about something that sounded super important. 
• an email from a student's parent thanking me for helping their child.
• an email from a friend in the States, telling me she's thinking about and praying for me.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, Pray continually. This made me think of a conversation I had last week with one of my elementary schoolers. 

He was feeling sad about something and I asked him if he'd prayed about it. He said he'd pray at night time (before bed). I told him he could pray anytime during the day, so he could even pray right then. He then asked me if I'd pray with him and I, of course, agreed. At that, the little guy grabbed my hand and prayed the most innocent, sweet, beautiful prayer I think I've ever heard. 

Then a few days later, he came running up to me before school, all excited, and told me that he prayed a lot over the course of the week. He said, "Miss Nichols, I prayed every time I thought of Jesus. When I was sad or mad, I prayed for Jesus to help me. When I was happy, I prayed and thanked Jesus. And it made me have really really good days. Jesus helped me because I prayed Miss Nichols!"

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

My family has had quite our share of difficulties lately. ...death, sickness, pain, issues with work, you name it... But you know what? In all of that I give thanks. God's will is for us to be thankful. Why? ...because all things come from Him. Sometimes those are good things and sometimes those are not so good things. But you know what? He has a reason for everything. And I'm so thankful that He's the one in charge, not me. And most of all, I'm thankful that in all things (even the really really really hard things), I was able to give thanks. So now, I give thanks for...

• the Christian heritage my Papa passed down before dying last month. I'm thankful for the many times I saw him reading his Bible, studying for a Sunday School lesson he was teaching, or singing a gospel song. I'm thankful for the many times I got to sit beside him in church or hear him play his guitar at church. 
• this past Father's Day. I got the honor and joy of speaking at my grandparents' church about my mission work in Senegal. Who would've known at the time that it would be the last service I'd ever attend with my sweet Papa? But God planned it to be a special one. And as he stood there, holding my hand, he leaned over and told me how proud of me he was. What a gift God Gave me there! I'm so thankful for that!
• getting the chance to speak about my missions work at my dad's school while I was in the States on my trip back for my grandpa's funeral. This is a public school people! They don't let people come in and talk about God and being a missionary every day, you know. 
• being home when my dad had his heart attack the day of my grandfather's death. I'm so thankful that I was able to be there to help him and my mom. 
• the many many people around the world that were praying for my dad during his latest heart attack and open heart surgery. There were times that I thought the pain of being so far away from him during this time would totally overwhelm me. But each time I'd get to that point, I'd receive another email, another handwritten note, another hug from someone saying they were praying for my dad.
• the many people my dad got to witness to while being in the hospital. Who knows what might come out of this experience? What if he had to go through all of that sickness, pain, and suffering just so one person (or more) could hear about our Lord and Savior? 

So as crazy as it may sound, I'm thankful. I'm thankful that God ordains our steps and knows what lies ahead of us. Thank you God for this life you've given me. Thanks for the good, the bad, and even the incredibly horrible. Thank you for always knowing what's best for me. Thank you for loving me no matter what. Thank you God. Thank you!