Just Not Feelin' It... and yet...

“Just not feelin’ it… and yet…” by Pastor Bec

Thanksgiving Weekend & Beginning of Advent 2024

Have you ever felt… well… ungrateful?
Gasp. I know, I know. As good Christians we are never ever to allow ourselves to indulge in this unhealthy, unspiritual, some even say, sinful behavior.

There is SO MUCH for which to be SO GRATEFUL! Even in the midst of suffering. Perhaps especially in the midst of suffering. The Bible tells us to be thankful in ALL circumstances! (“I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.”)

And yet… when things don’t go as hoped, or perhaps even the complete opposite of what we were counting on or expected, it’s hard to feel grateful.
When there is much or continued suffering - physically, mentally, and/or emotionally - it’s challenging to be thankful.

And yet, Paul wrote to the early Christians in Thessalonica, and to us, to “Rejoice always, pray continually, GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)

These books of the Bible, I & II Thessalonians, were among Paul’s earliest letters to Christians in what is now Greece. The young church was flourishing despite persecution and suffering. Yes, suffering.

These early Jesus followers stood strong in their commitment to Christ.
They had received the good news about Christ from Paul. They received it with gladness, but then experienced persecution similar to what he endured:
being mocked, beaten, imprisoned, rejected. They suffered.

By I Thessalonians 5:18 Paul is wrapping up this first letter. He’s coming to the grand finale. He begins this chapter by offering hope through the eventual return of Jesus Christ one day. He is encouraging the church to encourage one another. “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”(:11)

To encourage someone, there is discouragement which needs thrown over. It’s astounding how much your words can change someone’s entire day. Just hearing “You’re gonna be okay” can change everything.

Someone may be feeling ungrateful, rather than grateful. If we’re kicked out of our family and circle of friends, spit on and mocked, arrested without cause and beaten, we might find our gratitude meter flickering low.

Paul says, hold on. Choose to rejoice! No, you don’t have to say you like this reality.
In fact, to be healthy, be real. Admit how you’re feeling! Find people you can be safe with to share your true thoughts and feelings. Yes it does help to talk, and get it off your chest.
 
Most of all, tell God. He already knows.
In verse 19, Paul continues, “Do not quench the Spirit…” It takes God’s Holy Spirit to walk us through seasons of discouragement. No. Sometimes you don’t feel grateful. And you are hurting. As one contemporary Christian song says, we’re all broken and if we say we’re not, we’re lying. (We don’t need a Savior if we don’t think we need saved.) This is when we need to cry out to the Holy Spirit to fill, and refill us, daily.

It takes the gift of the friendship of the dear Holy Spirit to get us through.
It also takes the gift of caring family and friends to help pull us through what I envision as “the Swamps of Despair.” (Imagine Frodo, Sam & Gollum trudging through “the Dead Marshes" from “Lord of the Rings.” A desolate and oppressive place.)

When we’re battling discouragement and doubt and despair (all the “d words” which come from somewhere other than Heaven…), it is as though we are slogging through joy-sucking, mind-numbing dismay. (Yes, another d-word.)

But, God. Throughout the Bible a bad situation will be turned around with the words… “But, God.” But, God can give you fresh hope. But, God and His Holy Spirit can indeed fill you with peace in spite of the circumstances through which you’re wading.

But God and His only Son Jesus can offer comfort and love like no one else can.
In the original Greek language, “everything” or “all” has a broader meaning than we understand. This gets exciting now: “pas,” (“everything” in Greek) actually conveys the idea of completeness. This is encompassing the overreaching, overwhelming, comprehensive nature of God’s promises, commands and the scope of His grace.

This is why Paul says “Rejoice!” “Give thanks!” No, the circumstances aren’t fun. And yes it hurts. But God is bigger. After “rejoice” he says to “pray” because this is how we’ll stay close to God. Hence the not quenching the Spirt too.

Paul ends the letter with blessing the reader. He says “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through… The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” (:23, 24.)

That’s the point. His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10) We don’t have to conjure up anything. We just need to rest in Him. And His people who will help us and love us if we’ll let them. Oh yes, these times require a lowering of pride… a new humility. And discovering “being” instead of “doing.”

And the best part? We’ll find that the things we despaired most of experiencing will become that much richer as we discover that we get to experience them after all!