It’s one thing to write a motivation when things are sunshine and roses, it’s quite another to live it just a few hours later.
As I sit here in the dark at 3 am, I am thinking about the writing I just sent out…”Increase & Thankfulness…cultivating a heart of thanksgiving.”
It was easy and even pleasant to write that uplifting motivation while the sun was out and there was not a cloud in the sky. Who knew just a few hours later I would be sitting in the dark, with no electricity, no heat and no phone.
What happened?
Just a few hours after I wrote that encouraging word I drove back into my garage from running an errand. Literally, as I closed the garage the power went off. I made my way inside to try to find out what was going on.
My daughter was calling my cell phone, panicked, saying ‘Mom, get in your bathroom, there is a tornado or something coming, trees are coming down all around us!’
She only lives a few miles from me, I looked out the window and it certainly didn’t look good, so I made my way to the back of the house.
They no longer call them tornados, they now call them micro bursts. Well, this one burst all through my county, taking down trees, houses and doing a great deal of damage in our area. In the midst of all this, I received a call from my sister that a tree fell through my Mom’s house, I knew trees were down at Breanne’s house, but that was all I knew. Then my cell phone went dead.
There I sat, in the dark, with no way to communicate with anyone. Not knowing the safety of my family, I must say, it was not a fun place.
However, I thought ‘this won’t last long, stay in peace.’
Ten hours later, still in the dark, still no phone, still no communication or heat. By now it is after 4 am. I am cold and frustrated. My garage is electric and I didn’t quite know how to open it without electricity, but I had to try. I fumbled my way into the garage, climbed up on a ladder in the pitch dark and finally got the garage open. I couldn’t leave because there were trees down on all the roads near me. But I could start my vehicle and charge my phone.
As I turned on my vehicle and plugged in my phone, a song began to play on the radio….I WILL TRUST IN YOU. I sat in my vehicle with tears running down my face saying ‘yes, Lord, I will trust in you.’
By this point, I knew I would have to throw away everything in my freezer and my refrigerator, costing me several hundred dollars. I had called dispatch once my phone came back on, so I knew I wouldn’t have power for some time. I still didn’t know about Breanne and kids or my Mom, but I had to make a decision….will I trust in Him? And…will I be thankful?
I was so cold and I do not like being cold. But then I remembered my water heater was gas….so I turned on my shower and got it as hot as I could and I took a hot shower to warm up and I began to thank God for everything I could think of.
I said ‘Lord, I thank you for this hot shower, thank you that my water heater is gas. Thank you that I was able to charge my phone. Thank you for helping me open my garage. Thank you that my house is still here. Thank you that I have a flashlight. Thank you God. Thank you that You watch over your word to perform it. Thank you for the blood of Jesus. I choose to thank you and be grateful today.’
Friends, its easy to thank God when the sun is shining and everything is grand. It’s not so easy when you are in the dark, cold and facing losing hundreds of dollars…it’s not so easy then to be thankful. However, that is the exact time it is MOST important to give thanks.
If we don’t trust God in the dark and facing loss, then we don’t really trust Him in the sunshine either. He is not a fair-weather friend, nor should we be. It’s not right to thank Him when He is blessing you and complain and murmur when things don’t look so good.
As I shared yesterday; 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I don’t have to search for God’s will in this situation. It is God’s will for me to give thanks IN this situation. So, I give thanks.
And I trust God. I trust that my electricity will be restored. I trust that He will refill my freezer and refrigerator and supply all my needs. I trust that He has kept my family safe. I trust in the power of prayer and the power of the blood of Jesus to cover them. I trust that no weapon formed against me will prosper and God will take everything meant for my harm and turn it for my good. I trust God. I trust Him and I thank Him for His word that holds me steady in times like this. I trust Him in sunshine and I trust Him in micro bursts, because I choose to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving in this situation and on this day. To God be all the glory!
