"To Him be the Glory" -- Giving thanks where it is due
Disclaimer: I do not enter this blog post with a superior attitude, nor do I claim to be an expert on the topic. This is not me sharing a “Holier Than Thou” lecture, I am not by any means doing anything more than expressing my opinion and what I do to thank God.
In the good and the bad, I will praise and thank You, glory and honor is Yours, and Yours alone.
"The glory goes up to Him, and the blessings rain down on me." — Gabby Douglas, 2012 Olympic All Around and Individual Gold Medalist.
I have been approached by several people, especially in my late teens/early 20s, who ask me the same question: why I always say “Thank God.” They follow up by asking “has something bad happened/almost happened that you feel the need to thank Him?”
Now, here’s where my culture and faith of being an Orthodox Christian with a very traditional background may be different than these people asking me. I was raised in the Church. My dad is a priest and was ordained before I was born. No, I do not feel the need to rebel because of it (although I might have at one point of my life), nor do I resent my dad for making my life somewhat in the spotlight and YES! I feel very blessed and love my dad and all the things he sacrifices to suffice the needs of others, not just his family.
I grew up always hearing my parents say in several languages “thank God.” It was always something I was used to hearing, although might not have used as frequently as my parents. I never really thought about it until I first moved out on my own at the ripe young age of 18. This may seem normal to most of my readers, but in our Egyptian culture, we usually do not leave home until we 1. are married or 2. have gotten a job/grad school acceptance that we cannot refuse in a different state and even then it’s somewhat iffy.
Now I lived on campus and had some very questionable roommates and I struggled with the fact that I had faith and they didn’t give it much thought. I started being thankful that I had something stable in my life when the rest of my world and all the people in it had nothing solid that they could truly count on.
I realized three things between the ages of 18 and 22:
1. Saying “thank God” isn’t just something to say, it must be felt and actually really be THANKING HIM
2. We shouldn’t just thank God when He saves us from something bad, but rather we should give thanks ESPECIALLY in the good things!!
3. There are SO many things we don’t think of thanking God for, but they are the ones we should be the most grateful for!
Psalm 107:1 “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.”
The reality is simple: God loves us. He wants what’s best for us. No matter how terrible things look, in the end it all always works out for our benefit. It’s amazing how many times I got/get cranky and want to be mad at God, but I can’t because I know I’ll be laughing at my foolishness later on. God has a sense of humor and isn’t afraid to use it to humble us.
There are so many things to be thankful for. When I was in those angst, moody, teenage years I learned the hard way that God was really all I had. That was when I realized that God will never leave me, even when it feels like He has. He is always there. For that, I am thankful. Thank God.
God is all forgiving, no matter how undeserving I am, thank God.
I woke up this morning, thank God.
I not only had the money to buy myself something to eat today (and every day), but I was capable of preparing it, and feeding myself. Thank God.
The food was healthy, nutritious, and delicious! Thank God.
Do you see where I’m going with this? We have SOOOOOO much to be thankful for. We have the ability to think and question, learn and debate, feel and thank! Thank God!!
I say “thank God” because I constantly need to remind myself to be grateful, I am human and I err. I have an ego and pride. Remembering where I get all these awesome qualities and skills that I am vainly so proud of are from HIM keeps me humble and grounded. Thank God!!
I say “thank God” because He’s constantly blessing me with those around me. When I hear someone is doing well, I am thankful that they will still be around to humor me and laugh at my cheesy knock knock jokes, to be there to share all the good and the bad moments with me and those that they love and cherish. I learn from these people and love them because God has placed them in my life for a reason. Thank God!
I say “thank God” because I know in a moment, all can be taken away. God gave Job everything, and let everything be taken away from Him. He still thanked God. ”Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21).” He gives us everything for our benefit, and we usually only remember Him when we are in trouble. No, just as we were taught to be polite and always say “thank you” to our parents and everyone else around us, we must ALSO constantly give thanks to our Heavenly Father, who without Him, nothing would be.
In the good and the bad, we must be thankful. One of my favorite movies, Facing the Giants,the main character’s wife is having trouble conceiving and is asked, what if God doesn’t ever give you children? She responds in tears and says "I will always love You, Lord. I will always love You." In the most difficult circumstances, she was grateful and had so much love towards her Creator.
My last thought that I want to leave you with, and this is an important one:
You ready for this? I really want this to sink in. Here we go.
"What if you woke up tomorrow with ONLY the things you’ve thanked God for today?"
What would we have left?
I want to thank you all for bearing with my brain dump and reading through till the end. I hope this helps just a little and inspires you to realize all the things we have to be thankful for. I love you all, and I thank God for you.