Weekly Devotional: "In All Things Grumble and Complain"

When I was in the hospital this past weekend recovering from my back surgery there were moments, indeed hours, when I was in excruciating pain. I was having severe, intense back spasms that would not let up, and no matter which way I turned I could not find comfort. There were a few thoughts that kept going through my mind.

1. I am only 31 years old, why the heck did I need back surgery?


2. Why are there Umpa Lumpas dancing around on the ceiling?


3. If I squeeze and cringe any harder, my back isn't the only thing they're going to be wiping clean.


4. The doctor forgot to remove the knife and sewed it inside of my back.


5. It's a good thing he did or the next time he comes by to visit I might have an insatiable desire to use it on him.


6. Jesus suffered pain much, much, much more severe than this when He was being beaten and when He was hanging on the cross for me.


7. I love that verse in the Bible that says, "In all things scream, yell, grumble and complain for this is the will of God for you."

Now, if that last point doesn't quite sound like Bible, give yourself a pat on the back, because it's not. The actual verse says, "In all circumstances give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thessalonians 5:18).

There were so many moments when those spasms just squeezed my back like an anaconda on a cat and I thought I was going to die, but I just kept saying [yes, out loud], "In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God." Sometimes nurses were in the room and would hear me say that and ask, "Pardon me?" I would say, "I am in a lot of pain right now, but I know that in all things I can give thanks because a life of thanksgiving is God's will for me. I have a ton of things to be thankful for." Sometimes the nurse would give me that look that said, "I am a Christian too," and sometimes the nurses would look at me like I was on drugs ... which I was. (No, not those kinds; the prescribed, legal kinds!)

So, what is it about thanks? How is giving thanks in ALL circumstances God's will for us? I'll let you think about, chew on (meditate), and wrestle with that question this week. Remember, no matter what you're going through - at home, at school, with your friends, at work, wherever - God's will for you in Christ Jesus is that you would give Him thanks. Now ask yourself the deeper questions as to why that is true.

Blessings,

PK

Weekly Devotional: "In All Things Grumble and Complain"