A Bible verse about thanks:
“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:24-25
This verse echoes the sentiment of a book that I’m reading, called The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I’ll summarize today’s reading:
Trouble is inescapable. Life is a continual journey of surviving endless problems. They vary in scope and magnitude, but they’ll always be there.
While God has the power to allow us to avoid these problems, He does not. Not because He’s cruel or indifferent, but because He knows that somehow, it’s in our best interest.
We talked recently about the problem with weakness, and I certainly think that applies to the metaphor of “body of death,” at least in a physical relation.
Literally, the second that we’re born, we’re dying.
This physical body that we encompass during our time on earth is merely the tortilla for our spiritual taco.
Yes, it’s usually messy. Sometimes it can get a little spicy. But if we fold that tortilla correctly, we can finish it with joy.
The point of today’s verse and the accompanying reading is to solidfy how we react when faced with trouble.
It’s easy to praise God when things are going well, but how do we respond when problems arise?
(Side note, when are things really going well? I have yet to really encounter those moments.)
I’ll paraphrase Mr. Warren again by saying that God whispers to us during the good times, but the troubles we face are his way of shouting.
In the end, it’s not important that we “solve” our problems. In most cases, we simply can’t. What’s more important is that we relinquish the desire to be in control of the issue in the first place, and that we give thanks to God for the opportunity to become more like Jesus through these hardships.
And that’s what it comes down to; God allows these problems that we face in order for us to become more like Jesus.
It leads me to be introspective. I am continually facing problems.
- The transmission broke on my truck.
- Another snowstorm buries the driveway.
- My whole family gets sick.
- Continued financial hardships.
- More failed business attempts.
So what am I missing?
I feel like I am giving thanks to God, even in spite of these hardships. But when will I be “thankful” enough? When will I finally be successful? Will I ever be?
What lesson am I missing, or where am I deficient that I need to be constantly humbled?
I’m not questioning God’s path for me; I’m just questioning if I’m on the right path, or if I’m fulfilling the purpose that He intended for me?
When I wrote Chasing Dandelions, it was the first time in my life that I felt inspired by God to do something. I was certain that God would use me to do something great.
To date, I’ve sold 12 copies, and I think that my mom bought 1/4 of those.
That being said, it’s difficult to see how I’m accomplishing my purpose, and it leaves me wondering if that was even my purpose to begin with.
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