Thank God
On the same day that an employee received his salary, a thief took advantage of the crowded situation on his bus ride home and stole it all from his pocket. When the poor employee arrived home, he searched through his pockets for the money to give his family to take care of their monthly expenses and then realized that he had been robbed.
In the midst of the grief that came over the poor family, the man was thinking deeply, “How am I going to provide for my family this month? And what about our debt from last month??” The whole family, which has nothing to live on except the father’s salary, was crushed by this incident.
In the middle of all this thinking, the man shouted loudly, “Thanks God!” His wife thought he must have found a solution for their dilemma. But then he picked a paper and a pencil and wrote down his thoughts: “Thanks God. Thanks God that I was the one who was robbed and that I was not the thief. Thanks because what was stolen is only some of what I have but not all that I have. He stole my salary, but not my job. He stole some of my money, but not all my money. He stole the food of the month, but not the furniture of my house. He stole the money from my clothes, but not my clothes. Thanks God because I can compensate for what I lost. Because if he stole my son, how would I compensate for him?? And if he steals my soul, what am I going to benefit if I gain the whole world instead??”
This father found something to thank God for in the middle of this tough test.
Do you ever thank God that you’re the victim and not the oppressor? And the one who was knocked down, not the one who knocks others down? You might thank Him for a gift or a raise in your salary, but will you thank Him when He allows you to be robbed or deceived? Will you thank Him for sickness as you would thank Him for your health? For death as for life? Will you thank Him when He takes as you thank Him when He gives? So thank God. Would you believe that a thief thanks God because He covered up His crime and did not dishonor him before his victim?
Is it possible for us to have this kind of relationship with God? That we thank God that He didn’t let us become burglars, thieves, and killers? God, who allows the hands of such people to reach us, is certainly able to compensate us for the evil inflicted by man with a great godly compensation. So let’s thank God for everything.
September 11th, 2006 at 11:22 am
Thank God you are my caring father.
September 12th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
I was really blessed to know a ‘blind’ man who is thanking God more than many sighted people. One day I was talking to few friends, we had a chat about their problems and their complaints about their not-so-great circumstances; then it happens that I called this ‘blind’ man who astonished me, as usual, with lots of thanksgiving to God, and that life is good with no one complain. The contrast was very obvious that I was really touched and almost wanted to cry.
I too thank God that He put up this man on front of me. I thank God for this blog.
I thank you God for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition.
September 13th, 2006 at 9:02 am
Thank you George for sharing. I hope more people can share too. God bless.
September 15th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Thank you so much abouna for your inspiring devotionals and thoughts , which is comforting me always .
What about thanking God for what I don’t have , and for what I am not , despite the fact of my persistence in long prayers in tears , I still don’t get what I wanted always to have , I thank God always and at all times for what He is not giving me or not allowing me to have , I have learned it the hard way , and I thank God for that too.
Thank you Lord for what you did not give me , thank you Lord for all that you are not allowing me to have ,
Thank you lord for what I am , and for what I have.
God bless
September 20th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
I read all your comments and we have a beautiful list for things to be thankful for. I agree that we should thank God for…
+ What we have (family, friends, talents, abilities, personality, characteristics, social status, health, wealth, etc.)
+ What we lost (family, friends, talents, abilities, personality, characteristics, social status, wealth, etc.)
+ What we have left (family, friends, talents, abilities, personality, characteristics, social status, wealth, etc.)
+ What we don’t have (family, friends, talents, abilities, personality, characteristics, social status, wealth, etc.)
+ What we will never have (family, friends, talents, abilities, personality, characteristics, social status, wealth, etc.)
I don’t mean to be redundant in the categories but we often concentrate on one or two things and leave the others. Considering the big picture often changes your views and feelings. Looking at the big picture when you manage a project may show great progress even though a great loss may have occurred.
I have had my share of tribulations in my lifetime and I wanted to share with you more things that I learned to be thankful for…
+ What I don’t know
And
+ Not knowing what I don’t know
Years after certain experiences, I have come to learn that God has saved from great troubles that may have destroyed life as I know it. When I came to such realization, I immediately got on my knees and thanked God for sparing me the agony. Since then I have been thankful for “what I do not know”.
Reflecting on such situation later on made me realize that had I known what was transpiring as it happened , I would have been destroyed emotionally out of worry, anger, etc. and I may have been lead down the wrong path. Since then I have been thankful for “Not knowing what I don’t know”
December 18th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
Wow, I think we owe God a lot of gratefulness.