Why Thank God in Trials and Happy Moments

My second son has an issue with eating what is put before him unless it's chicken nuggets, starbursts or skittles. I have to coax and prod and encourage. But what I find so funny is that even though he hates what I put in front of him he always manages to take one bite. It's not the bite that is intriguing but his reaction to the bite.

"Thank you mommy." My son is 3 and though he really dislikes what is in front of him he always manages to say 'Thank you mommy." before taking a bite and while gagging. (no I'm not that bad of a cook my other two children typically eat fine) He eats because I tell him it will make him grow stronger and taller. Basically he eats because he has to in order to live. He eats because he knows there is usually reward (desert) for his obedience and he eats because I am looking out for his best interest to have a well balanced diet.
I have no idea really why he says thank you every time but it gets me every single time!!!

I Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (NLT)

This verse is so hard to really do. It's easy to give thanks when the bounty is flowing and things in life are really happening that we love. But we all know it's hard to say "thank you Jesus" when life is throwing things at us we don't like. Often times if we choose to go to God at all about the situation it's to complain and sometimes rather loudly that we don't like it.

I am no different. I struggle so hard with being thankful for the things I don't get or that I do get and don't like. But, thankfully God has been working on me in this area. He really wants me to surrender all my life to Him and His control even if I don't like everything that He has planned to put into my path. 

I saw this area where I lacked quite boldly in my face and knew it was time to take care of business. So, I do what any one does seeking to please their Father, I ask Him (reluctantly mind you) to teach me to be thankful in all my circumstances, happy and unhappy ones. I did add when asking that He make the process as painless as possible.

So, as I realize I was on a real roll of being thankful and putting it into practice I was starting to get proud of myself for overcoming this obstacle of not being thankful in all things.

And then the big ol' test came.  God knocked me down. He physically knocked me down. Not even a week after I was realizing I was doing a pretty good job of being happy and content with everything and thanking Him for teaching me this process He gave me the whammy! I was down. I was physically injured. I couldn't get out of bed, and for a girl who is always on the go, always wanting to be around here kids and always busy this was not an easy thing for me to take.

I came home from the doctors where my husband ever so lovingly but sternly told me to 'go to bed, and stay in bed, and not come out of the room.' He had everything under control.

I laid in bed because really my body was so sore I didn't have the willpower to even offer to argue with the hubby. I graciously took my role of sicky, even though that is not of my nature. 

So, as I am laying in bed, staring out my window I realized this was AWESOME!! I had just been given days of nothing but me and God time. Honestly, I was in lots of pain, my chest hurt to breath any air in so I just laid and asked God to just come hear my heart. The first words I said, where...

"Thank you Jesus for this. I don't know why you have me down, I don't know why I am sick but thank you for whatever the purpose is in making me sick. I just ask that you allow me to understand the trial of illness when I am better. I trust you totally have a reason for removing me from all situations I was scheduled to be apart of for the next week."

That was really all I had energy to pray and I fell asleep. Through the next two days as I lay in bed my conversation openers with God seemed to start similarly to that prayer. Always thanking him for whatever his purpose was in my sickness.

Now, this isn't a brag on myself but a word to encourage. You see I finally understood the verse. We always focus on the first part, "Give thanks for everything." And we leave it at that. But the verse doesn't end there it goes on to say why you need to do that.

"..For this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you." If we as Christians truly believe that everything happens for a purpose, then we need to be thankful for everything! Everything God allows to happen to us is for a reason that will bring glory to Himself and because He really does have our best interests in mind.

Just like I have to look out for the best interests of my son and his diet so he can grow and be healthy God also has to look out for us. And just like my son can be thankful for his gag-able sandwich and say thank you because he knows I will reward him for his obedience God also wants us to be thankful and be obedient in being thankful so He can openly reward us. Children who are obedient to their Father will reap a reward, even if it's just a 'atta girl!' and a proud smile.

It doesn't mean we have to like whatever trial we are going through but it does mean we just have to trust that God wrote our story and everyone else's story and the whole point of all of the stories is to bring glory to Himself. 

Our aim as Christians is to serve God so He can be glorified, so He can be made famous!

Don't think that this one time of passing the test makes me out to have conquered this huge task of being thankful.  Just the other day God asked me to do a really huge task, or what I felt was huge!

As I talked it out with a friend I knew God had purpose for the situation, I knew God was going to fix my own errors of where I hadn't listened to his voice earlier and He was still in this. 

But as I sat the night before the whole issue was fixed I heard God speaking to my heart as I openly laid it all at His feet. His calm and gentle voice was very moving; "there is one thing my daughter you have forgotten. You have forgotten to thank me for even this trial." 

Oh ya! Ooooops!!! I had! I had totally forgotten to thank God for putting me in the situation of the trial. I knew He was going to handle it. I knew He was going to show up and be my voice, I knew He was going to be my strength and yet I had felt there was just one thing missing. 

As soon as I said "thank you for this trial, no matter how big it is to me I know you will handle it and I thank you for trusting me with this job and the trial."  Those words gave me such peace in my situation I can't even explain it. 

I may not have liked what happened to me. Trust me I was gagging at the idea just like my son gags at his lunch. I may not have liked being asked to step out of my comfort zone and do something above what I thought I was capable of; but I knew there was a promise from God that He always has my best interest in mind "For I know the plans I have for you..."(Jeremiah 29:11) He had made those plans far before the world was ever created that I would be made and that this was part of the plan all along. All I needed to do was praise Him in all my circumstances because that is all He wants from us! He wants our praise, and He wants to hear us lift up His name.

Being thankful may be hard, but be thankful God gave you the trial. Be thankful God is entrusting you with this task because He wants to work through you. Be thankful God wants to use you. Be thankful no matter how much life sucks that there is a purpose for the pain or even the happy  moments.  There is purpose in pain and in joy; but we have to be thankful God has a plan for both!

Heavenly Father,
Thank you! 

Thank you for my joys! Thank you for giving me rainbows and sunshine and happy moments that make me laugh and smile.
Thank you for my trials! Thank you for giving me grace in them and for using them to make me stronger. Thank you that through trials you bring me closer to you so that I have learned to lean on you and trust you in all circumstances.

But most of all Father, just thank you for the gift of this whole beautiful life you have planned for me. I don't know my future but I know You hold it all, So thank you!

~Amen~

Heaven's Warrior Princess- It's time to rise up!

Heaven's princess warrior boot camp

Emotional
Mental
Spiritual
Physical

1) we need to be ready emotionally for any thing we may face. This does not mean we need to be emotionally shut down. On the contrary, this actually means we need too be ready to understand our emotion. We need to know how to use them and how to control them so that we can not be harmed by being led by them or letting the enemy take foothold to lead us down a path that will distract us from our mission or destroy us.
But we also need to know how to use them and understand our God given talents given us by God for our discernment (instincts) and how we can use them to control our enemies. Men do not typically have the same type of emotional intuitions, that is what helps set us apart and helps us find our need for each other.
During your training you will learn to balance them, without the use of another party.

2) we need to be prepared with sound mental clarity. Not just filled with random useless facts. We need to know our facts/truths and how to use this to our advantages. This takes both trained knowledge and wisdom to know when and how to use it to be most effective for our goals and purpose.

3) we need to be spiritually ready. This doesn't mean just memorized scripture, though that is part of it. Being spiritually ready also means being confident in who you are because of Christ and confident in who the person you were made by God to be. Being confident so much so that even if your mentor/leader tries to sway you that you would not back down. Only God himself could sway you.
(This is important especially if you know you are going to face probable martyrdom)
Being so sure of yourself but without arrogance.  when encountering others they will know and see your steadfastness and confidence. It will be inspiration and a light to some, to others it will scare them and make them fearful of you.
4) we need to be physically ready. This is just as important as the other three. We are training to face the most serious battle ever to be had. If we expect to be chosen to fight the evil we must be physically prepared. It takes strength to throw stones that matter. It takes strength to pull back a bow that is actually meant to hold an arrow that can kill. It takes strength to stand your ground. If you plan to fight not just earthly things but also the spiritual warfare you must be physically able, healthy and strong. The weak is where they strike first.
No one joins my battlefield who is not properly equipped and dressed and armed for the battle at hand.
I am armed!
I am prepared!
I am trained!
I am ready!
I am fearful of no man!
I answer to God alone!
I am the captain of the princess warriors!

Prepare yourself ladies. Only the few will stand and survive the fight as princess warriors. We are all princesses, but not everyone can be a warrior. Time to find out who you are and prepare yourself to be who God made you to be.
Others have been put here before me to train you, build you up, build me up.
They have done their job. They have succeeded! But now is the time for intense training. It is your last prepping  grounds you stand on for the battle we will fight is close and we must be ready when it arrives!
We will not be sleeping!
We will not be shaken!
We will be ready to fight!
We will be ready to win!
We are
Heaven's Princess Warriors!!!!!

Ephesians 6:10-20