Thanksgiving Every Day!
I was 28 years old and I was not feeling very thankful. In fact, I was feeling resentful and angry. I was having the biggest pity party you could imagine. Looking back, I realize I had a lot going for me but I couldn’t see it then. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) it says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
My circumstances were less than ideal. I was a couple years out of having a staff position at a church. In fact, there was a two and a half year stretch where I had several jobs. I did all kinds of construction work. I worked for a company called Handleman where I scanned vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs. Karen and I worked for Seagate Technology on an assembly line making computer disc drives. Sometimes we did 12-hour shifts. We were paying the bills — barely — and I was interviewing with as many churches as possible to find a staff position and get back into full-time vocational ministry. The problem was my interviews were not panning out. I was beyond frustrated and the idea of being thankful seemed fake. Why would I be joyful and especially thankful? I was miserable.
One day I called in sick to work and pouted all day like a 4-year-old. My wife Karen did her best to cheer me up, but I was inconsolable. At some point during that day, I had a breakthrough. I was pouting, but I was also praying and pouring my heart out to God. I asked the question we all ask when we’re going through a season of suffering:
“Why is this happening to me?”
There was a reason, but I wasn’t aware of it and God wasn't talking. However, from that point forward I had more joy and peace in my life. I decided that God was in control even though I didn’t understand what was going on.
Romans 8:28 (NLT) says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
I knew that verse, but I kept thinking, “How is God going to work out this situation for good?”
One day, I received a phone call from a former college friend. He said, “Steve, I know you have been looking for a church staff position. I have good news and bad news.” I said, “Let's start with the bad news.” He said, “The pastor of the last church you worked at has been giving you bad reviews when pastors call asking about you.” I almost dropped the phone. That particular pastor was my number one reference on my resume. Now I understood why no one would hire me. Suddenly everything made sense. God was working things out for my good — but it took a while. Patience is not one of my strong points.
I had been interviewing at churches in Northern California where I was from. I realized my name and reputation had been tarnished in those areas, so I took a big leap of faith and started looking for churches in Southern California. I had always dreamed of one day living and pastoring in San Diego, but it seemed like a pipe dream. Shortly after the call from my friend, I sent a resume to a church in San Diego County. Two months later, I had a full-time staff position. Karen and I stayed there for eight happy years.
Looking back, I realized God was working a lot of stuff out in my life. He was helping me to get over my entitled attitude. He gave me work experience that has translated into my ability to relate to people who work in those kinds of jobs. Karen and I lived with her parents off and on while we both worked. What’s special about that is that just a few short years after we moved to Southern California, Karen's mother died from cancer. I would never have had the opportunity to spend that kind of quality time with my mother-in-law had it not been for those in-between years.
If you are a follower of Jesus, trust that He sees you and is working things out on your behalf. Let’s do our best to make every day a thanksgiving day.
Stay close to Jesus,
Steve