Christy Nockels is one of my favorite musicians. Her albums are always so worshipful and beautifully usher in the Holy Spirit. This weekend I reflected on the lyrics of her song If You Never,
If You never did another thing for me
It will always be enough that You set me free
Always be enough that You gave Your life
Jesus, You are mine
On the heels of Thanksgiving, I can’t help but contemplate those words. Sadly the truth is I’m not always that grateful to the Lord. Often I approach him with a “to-do” list and an unspoken expectation that he will answer precisely how I am praying. When his answer happens to be different than my request, I wrestle with worry that perhaps the Lord doesn’t hear or care.
Do I believe that if God doesn’t do another for me, the work of Jesus is indeed enough?
In my head the answer is yes, but in my heart, I struggle to maintain those thankful thoughts.
I need thankful thoughts that support the truth that God does not owe me one thing. The Salvation he offers me through Christ should be more than enough to keep me satisfied. However, I find myself coming to him with a “please do this for me,” and “don’t forget to show up in this situation” list of demands. God doesn’t owe me a happy ending, children who obey, or a husband who stays faithful for our entire marriage. I’m not owed a successful career, steady income, or a best friend. Sure, all of those things will be nice, but God doesn’t guarantee them. Jesus tells us to prepare for trouble in this world while remembering that He has overcome the world. Placing our trust in Him should be all we ever need.
There is a parallel between my relationship with the Lord and my relationship with my husband.
Often, how I treat one is a mirror for how I treat the other.
I don’t always have thankful thoughts towards Jesus, and I know I don’t have a heart of gratitude for my husband. Certainly, my husband isn’t my Savior, but he does love and provide for me and yet often that doesn’t seem to be enough. I tend to think that he should be doing more to express his love or find new and creative ways to pursue me. Just like the Lord, I approach my husband with a lengthy laundry list of things I want him to do.
Help me hang this, take care of that, listen to me, provide for us…
I tend to withhold my thanks until he has met my needs.
That is not the attitude of appreciation that I desire to have. I want to be a worshipper who gives God all the glory regardless of my emotions and situations. I aim to be a wife who doesn’t have a series of hoops my husband needs to jump through before I appreciate the man and husband he is at any given moment. The key is learning to be content and grateful where I am now, or else I won’t be thankful even if the Lord and my husband meet all of my demands.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ~ Philippians 4:12
Contentment produces a multitude of thankful thoughts!
What are you most thankful for today?
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