How Can I be Thankful in This?
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”- 1st Thessalonians 5:18
On August 21st, 2025 I got a call that no one wants to get. My childhood home was up in flames. My parent’s house caught on fire from an electric recliner. Thankfully no one was hurt and everyone got out safely. However, there was a lot of damage from the fire and from the smoke. My parent’s house had to be totally redone and gutted.
As my parents cleaned through the wreckage- what was over 30 years in that house- they started to find things that they had forgotten that they had. One was a poster that I had made, when I was 5 years old, the day my little brother came home from the hospital, when he was born. Another was a card that my late great grandmother had written. There were so many little things that turned out to be the important things. Before they put up the sheetrock, my family was able to write scripture on the foundation and the building blocks of the house. I’ll never forget the feeling I felt walking through that empty house praying and writing scriptures on the studs. Part of me felt angry at God. I thought, “God, my parents are in the ministry! They serve You faithfully! How could you let this happen?!” God very quickly humbled me.
Just when I started to question God, I looked around at my family writing scripture. I saw my mom and dad writing the scripture that they said at their wedding (Ruth 1:16), in- what was- their bedroom. I saw my little brother, who was home during the fire, writing on the LITERAL foundation of the house about Christ being the firm foundation. I saw my husband and sister-in-law write their favorite verses as well. All in one piece, All unharmed. Suddenly, all the little things that we lost to the fire didn’t matter anymore.
After the fire, my mom bought a sign that said “the best things in life are not things.” You know, I think that’s what Paul was trying to tell us in 1st Thessalonians 5:8. “Be thankful in ALL circumstances.” That’s easier said than done most of the time. Many times we see the “fire and smoke” all around us and we cannot find the things to be thankful for. I want to encourage you to look for the little things. Look for the big things. Look for everything that you can be thankful for no matter what you are going through. Don’t get mad at God because your circumstances are not ideal. Thank Him for the things that you normally wouldn’t thank Him for. Thank him for the little and big things. But most of all, thank Him for the things that are not things.
