With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we’re being inundated with messages about thankfulness and having a heart of gratitude. “Give thanks in everything!” Got running water and flushable toilets? According to UNICEF, you’re better off than three-fifths of the rest of the people in the world.
That’s right, 60% of the world’s population either has no toilet at home or one that doesn’t safely manage human waste. So if you have one, you should thank God for it every day.
But some problems in life can’t be fixed even with quality indoor plumbing.
Maybe your family struggles to pay the bills, or you lost someone you love this past year, or you’re dealing with a health condition that severely compromises your quality of life. Perhaps you’ve got a bully breathing down your back or your classmates ridicule you for your faith.
That’s when it’s time to thank God for forever.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
In This Article
Just a Sneeze: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Consider this illustration:
If the black segment represents your life on earth, then the rest of the line is your eternal life by comparison. Note how it goes off the page. Even if you live to be 107, your earthly life compared to eternity is like one minute of a whole day, one page of a whole book, or one foot of a million miles.
A mere blip.
Your earthly life compared to eternity is like one foot of a million miles.
The awesome news is, if you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that stubby little black segment is the only portion of your existence where you will find pain, trouble, and suffering. The rest of the line?
An eternity of knowing him—more and more of his power, and glory, and love. Like climbing a mountain with the most amazing view you’ve ever seen only to find the clearest, most beautiful lake on the other side. And after that, a mystical forest teeming with intrigue. And then a geothermal spa that invites you to dive in. And you never run out of extraordinary places to explore.
When life has you down, this is what you should focus on.
How to Give Thanks In Everything: Thank God For Forever!
Just like the National Day of Prayer shouldn’t be the only time you talk to God, Thanksgiving Day shouldn’t be the only day you give him thanks. And while everyone has something to be thankful for in our earthly lives (flush toilets anyone?), true gratitude becomes easier when you look ahead to eternity.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
What is it that ails you? Pain? Depression? Cancer? Hate? Fear, sorrow, evil, anxiety, temptation…? This too shall pass. Thank God for Jesus, because through him, you have the gift of eternal life.
Thank God for forever!