Being Thankful & Loving in the Midst of Chaos

 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habukkuk 3:18

 

God loves you.

God loves me.

 

These are universal truths.

 

In this world we will have trouble.

Life isn't perfect.

 

These are also universal truths.

 

How can we reconcile a God who clearly loves us - breathes life into each of us - and a world as broken and chaotic as the one in which we live?

 

I can't.

Maybe you can, but I can't.

 

This is a crazy world filled with hatred, gossip, lies, innuendo, wars, and all manner of unspeakable things.

 

And yet, this is also a world filled with compassion, joy, love, beauty, enduring faith, hope, laughter, and some measures of peace.

 

So how do we reconcile the good of this world with the bad?

 

We don't.

 

God called us to love each other (John 13:34). He didn't call us to fix the world or to judge its failures. He called us to love.

 

We are called to love in the midst of hatred and pain.

We are called to love in the midst of joy and celebration.

We are called to love in all circumstances.

And by keeping that love paramount we will be able to praise and thank God in all aspects of our lives: the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

I can't reconcile all of the crazy ups and downs of this world - and that's okay. I am not supposed to figure it all out. Neither are you.

 

We are called to love all and to praise and thank God continually.

While we work toward that mode of continual thanksgiving we will find that "making sense of it all" is less important, because loving all will become central - key to having peace in the middle of a war ravaged world.

 

Most of what happens in the world doesn't make sense.

But we are called not to make the world fit into our understanding, but rather to allow God to transform us to His.

The first step in the transformation process is choosing to love first, praising God through our love.

 

Scripture

Habukkuk 3:16-19

 

Quote

I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.

Jim Valvano

 

Question

 

How can you thank God in the midst of your trials today?