Thankfulness is good for your heart

Giving Thanks to God for blessings of each day, each week, our life-times is God’s command to us – be thankful.

Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank Him because you believe in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18 (NIRV)

Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful. Let Christ's word live in you like a rich treasure. Teach and correct each other wisely. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with thanks in your hearts to God. Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ. Colossians 3:15-17 (NIRV)

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:1, 11-12

Sing and worship the Lord with joy; For He made us and we are His people. So come and give Him thanks for He is good, all the time. Psalm 100 (Judy’s condensed version)

(Try also the following passages of thanks: I Chronicles 16:8-9; Ps 7:17; Psalm 28:6-7; Psalm 107:1)

I have mentioned in an earlier blog that each of us has things for which to be thankful because of the life of the one whose death we are now grieving. Perhaps they made you laugh in a certain way. They made you see something in the world that without their insight you would have ignored. They were avid fans of some sport that you didn’t know was exciting until they showed you the joy of it. They were in music and until their interest you had no interest. And so on. You learned obedience as you taught your children, or patience, or perseverance, or some other character trait. Now that you have learned that trait, you honor the memory of that child every time you employ that strength. So give thanks for them and for those lessons.

Thanksgiving does something for and in you. It is connected to Peace. Look at Philippians 4:6-7. As you converse with your Father in Heaven (prayer), with a thankful heart, present your requests about anything and everything. Then Anxiety melts away and Peace grows in its place. Peace with God. Peace among men and Peace within yourself. All this peace grows because you are seeing the situation and the world from God’s perspective because you have come close to Him as you pray. Giving God thanks is His prescription to help in healing your grief. Have a good thanks-giving this weekend.