Give Thanks to God in all things or for all Things

 

Ephesians 5:20,  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

That passage from the letter of Paul to the church in Ephesus is very clear.  We should give thanks to God for all things.  Well, as hurricane Teddy was quite the anticlimactic event here on P.E.I., I can certainly agree that I can give thanks to God for what didn’t happen.    But would I have done the same if it had been as bad as forecast, with damage and devastation and power outages as it was for many people.  It would have been very hard to do that.  As with many events in my life, that certainly didn’t seem to be good things, I have found it difficult – actually impossible - to thank God.  Why should I give thanks for the bad things in life despite what the bible says or what is often preached?

I have resolved that quandary by deciding I can give thanks to God in all things rather than for all things.  Regardless of what happens, I can thank God for all God has given this world and all that I have been given in this life.  For, if I thank God for the good things that happen, I have to give God credit for the bad things as well so I arrive back where we started. 

Well, that seemed to settle the matter for me; but of course, it didn’t.  The important things in life don’t seem to be that simple.  I am currently rereading The Dark Night of the Soul, by Gerald May.  This is a very good commentary on the spiritual classic of the same name by John of the Cross.  In exploring that part of the spiritual journey, which was named the dark night of the soul, by John of the Cross, he, John, holds that we often cannot understand God’s purpose behind those deep, dark, spiritual experiences which can be transformative.  The purpose of these dark times is obscured and hidden from us because that is necessary if we are to travel them.  If we believe that we can see where we are going – what path to follow in spiritual matters we will probably be on the wrong path.  As May says:

sometimes the only way we can enter the deeper dimensions of the journey is by being unable to see where we are going…But in spiritual matters it is precisely when we do think we know where we are going that we are most likely to stumble. 

In my understanding, our egos will not allow us to enter these times if we can see what lies ahead.  The ego wants to be in control above all and will do all it can to not follow a path which it must give up that control.  As May states, “the night is dark for our protection.  We cannot liberate ourselves; our defenses and resistances will not permit it, and we hurt ourselves in the attempt.” 

In view of this, I must reassess my view of giving thanks to God.  There have been times and events in my life that seems to be bad or even disastrous.  In these times, there was no way I could bring myself to give thanks to God for what was happening.  However, upon reflection and given some space, I can see God’s hand at work and that it has been something to give thanks to God for.  That is not to say that bad things are always for the best, however, we can still give thanks to God in those things.

Blessings on your journey including those dark nights as well as the bright days.