By Samantha Taylor, Samantha Taylor Fitness
Through many trials we have all gone through this last couple of years, I have found great solace and comfort in focusing on what I am truly thankful for. I know that might sound cliché, but it really matters. I saw someone post this, and it made me think about that.
The post said, “Your job is the dream of the unemployed, your house is the dream of the homeless, your smile is the dream of the depressed, your health is the dream of those who are sick. Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity. Find something to be grateful for.”
Then I looked up in the Bible what it means to be thankful, and it says in 1 Thess. 5:16-18 “in all things give thanks.” In everything? Even the tragedies? Even the loss, pain, and sorrow? The mind has a hard time comprehending that, but it may help when we look at our life and realize that everything works together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose.
Nobody likes going through trials when it’s happening, but I believe that’s one reason why God talks about giving thanks in all things. The word “thanks” in that scripture means “to worship God”. After seeing that, I saw that scripture differently, thinking about worshiping God even in the tough times.
Why? Because He is still God, regardless if we go through tough times or not. He is still on the throne, regardless if our heart is broken. He still knows the beginning from the end, something that we cannot see or how it all fits together.
That’s where the trust comes in because we know that our God is in control and that even though we may have heartbreak, He can comfort us in that pain, He can help us heal and recover. Because as difficult as it is, I believe that God is sovereign and He is in control, and if something difficult happens, we can trust that He must have a plan for it even though maybe we don’t see it now, but there is a plan.
So maybe think about some things that you are thankful for in this life, even though so many difficult things are going on around us. I encourage you this month, every day that when you start to think about focusing on the negativity, stop and make yourself think about what you are grateful for.
If you have both of your eyes, you can see, many don’t have that. If you have all of your limbs and can walk, there are millions of people out there that would absolutely love that ability. It truly all is perspective of what we focus on.
The one thing that I know is that God is in control and I can trust Him even in difficulties and tragedies. I have found that spending time with Him, getting to know Him and His nature and how truly amazing it is to be in a relationship with the Creator of the universe, I have learned to trust Him more.
If you struggle with trusting Him in difficult times too, perhaps this article was brought to you for you to start getting your focus on what to be thankful for. One thing I’ve learned about going through trauma is that it does change you and you can either become bitter or better, how you walk through that situation has a big part of it.
Usually, we don’t choose to go through trauma. However, we can have an impact on the experience of how we process it. This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to think about what you are truly thankful for.
If you would like some delicious recipes for Thanksgiving that can add to the ones you already have or if you’re looking for some healthier alternatives that still taste amazing, go to this link to get our 27 Thanksgiving recipes from our dietitian. Plus, Nov 8th, she is doing a free webinar on how to survive the holidays.
https://samanthataylorfitness.com/thanksgivingrecipes
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