I Can See Clearly, Now

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.-- Melody Beattie



In so many ways, 2009 has already been a year of shifting paradigms. Paradigm is one of those words I've heard a lot in the past few years, but didn't really understand until recently. A paradigm basically means "pattern". So when I state to you that 2009 has already been a year of shifting paradigms, what I'm actually saying is things are changing around us even as we watch. It's like one of those computer programs that morphs faces slowly, but seamlessly. If transition is to come, I suppose we'd all like it to happen as seamlessly as possible.

It seems, however, that the changes we are living through are causing some folk a great deal of upset and strain. People are losing jobs, major companies are going bankrupt, our financial system here in the US is in complete chaos and we've just seen our political leaders gamble on the future of our children and grandchildren's ability to bail the country out of its troubles. Definitely shifting of patterns, no matter how you look at it.

I sat with a dear friend just this past weekend at a local restaurant listening to one of the patrons (very loudly) criticize and denounce the decisions made by this country's leaders. He was in the throes of his rant, letting anyone nearby know exactly where he stood on the issues. But he offered no solutions or ideas of his own. It seemed to be the same theme playing over and over again all throughout last week. Everyone complaining, nobody offering solutions.

I am going to go out on a limb, though, and offer a very simple solution: Be Thankful. In any and all circumstances you find yourself in, dear reader, choose to be thankful. This is precisely what I believe the church should be focusing on today.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Thessalonika about the turbulent times in which they were living. Paul spoke of their terrible financial situation in his letter to the church at Corinth (2 Cor. 8) and knew they were faced with many obstacles and few ways to overcome those obstacles. But it's interesting to me that in chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells them in very simple words:

Be joyful always.
Pray continually.
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit's fire.
Do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything.
Hold on to the good.
Avoid every kind of evil.

All of that is very easy to understand, but not necessarily easy to apply when your boss hands you a pink slip and your mortgage is due, right? Nevertheless, it is what we are commanded to do. These are not suggestions, Beloved. These are directions. If they are followed, Paul assured us we would see amazing results. He continued in verse 23 of chapter 5:

May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

What then, is the result of following the directions Paul gave to that battered and beaten Macedonian congregation?

Peace.

How much we need peace in the situation we face today! People are crying out for it all over this country and, indeed, all over the world! That verse says that if we apply all that Paul says to our situation then GOD HIMSELF will PREPARE us for the jobs He has given us to do in this day and time. I fully believe that part of being prepared for the work in the world today means He supplies us whatever it is we need. We needn't worry about where it all comes from and how it all comes together. To be sanctified through and through means to already be outfitted with what is needed through God's providential nature and design.

Paul also implies that if God Himself is getting us equipped, then peace comes along with that process. Supply lines are open for us, if we will only do things God's way, which means we must maintain and practice an attitude of gratitude. That is the key, right there! Paul made it very simple: pray and be thankful no matter what situation you find yourself in!

My regular readers know that I am the poster child for God's amazing provision and his grace. I have seen God come through for me in ways that make many shake their heads in disbelief! But the Word is to be believed, my friends! If God says to do things this way, why do we attempt to do things OUR way, or the way that seems "right" as far as conventional wisdom is concerned?

I may not be pleased with the way I see things going down right now. I have a lot of questions in my mind about how this great debt we're laying on the next generation will affect the US. I wonder about the elderly, if they will be able to count on their Social Security benefits and their Medicare. I wonder about so many things.

But one thing I refuse to do is grumble and gripe and make myself (and anyone who may be sitting near me in my local eatery) miserable with a bunch of wasted breath! I am not an instrument designed to heap more hopelessness and discontent onto a world that is already buckling under the weight of poor decisions and bad management! I am called to be salt and light. I am called to enhance the atmosphere all around me and to brighten the way of everyone I come into contact with.

In short, I am called to be thankful. Thankfulness from a heart that truly knows where his or her help comes from will shine forth even in the darkest and dreariest of circumstances. A man or woman with the right attitude toward adversity will find that through thankfulness, their perspective is changed. When we focus on what God has already done for us, it opens up to us the possibilities that He can (and will) come through for us again! As His children we know because of our relationship with Him that He will withhold no good thing from us and He has a good plan already in place for us.

But, we have to follow HIS methods.

You can't ever get God's stuff your way. That will never, ever work.

In the coming weeks as the shifts and changes take place all around us, don't give in to the urge to join the scoffers and grumblers. They contribute nothing to the situation. There is no benefit to such attitudes on display. I am not trying to come off as "Pollyanna" and believe that it will all be hunky-dorey and we will all have a chicken in every pot and a roof over every head. We are in the very beginning stages of turbulent and difficult times.

But, as the song says, 'I know who holds tomorrow....' I have nothing to fear. God's hand is on the steering wheel of this great ship and He knows exactly where we are headed. I put my confidence in that, and that alone. For that, I will thank Him, honor Him and give Him the glory He is due.

There is peace to be had, Beloved. But you won't find it if your mouth (and your heart) are looking in the wrong place for it. Ask God to help you in the coming days to get a new perspective. It starts with a new attitude: an attitude of thankfulness will bring you a whole lot of clarity!

Count on it!


Blessings to you all...

Jennifer Barnes
Uplift! Editor



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