Give Thanks In All Things

 Yesterday was the Canadian Thanksgiving.  When I think of thanksgiving I think of the phrase ‘give thanks in all things.’  With all that is going on in this world it is not possible or right to give thanks for all things which is sometimes promoted as the Christian approach.    Can the Ukrainians give thanks for what Russia is doing to their country and citizens?  Of course not.  Can the people of Pakistan give thanks for the flood waters that have engulfed their land?  No indeed.  Can the residents of Prince Edward Island give thanks for the devastation that Hurricane Fiona has left behind or the residents of Florida for the devastation and destruction of Ian?  Certainly not.  But there are things to give thanks for in all that.  I am thankful that Lorna and I were relatively untouched by the ravages of Fiona and have made it back to our other home in Parkhill which we found in good shape.  I am thankful that there are first responders and people of good will to help those in need and that we had good neighbours to provide assistance when we needed it. 

To give thanks for blessings in the midst of heartbreak and disaster does not mean that I thank God that I was blessed to be protected in these difficult times.  I do not deserve to receive a blessing any more than the many people who had their lives turned upside down by the forces of nature or circumstance.  To believe that God gives a blessing to some and not others is, to my understanding, a mistaken belief in how God works.  God is not there pulling the strings in our lives like we are puppets.  Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people.  We cannot know why this happens.  We can and do understand that there are consequences for our actions as human beings who have been blessed to have free will.  Sometimes the consequences are determined by the actions of ourselves and others.  We have ‘hundred-year storms’ every five years because we have abused and neglected the world that God created and gave to us to be stewards of.  We may experience challenges and problems in our lives because of how we have lived and what we have done.  If we abuse our bodies and neglect our spiritual life we may suffer some consequences as a result – smoking does lead to cancer for some depending on many factors such as the genes we have inherited.  Other people may smoke a pack-a-day all their lives and live to a ripe old age.  It seems to be the luck of the draw. 

However, regardless of the deck that we have been dealt, we can be assured that God is with us whatever happens and that is something devoutly to give thanks for.   

So, remember on your journey to give thanks to God in all things.