Jonathan's Perspective on Thankfulness

Even though in my own life, there are plenty of reasons to get discouraged or irritated with my situation, maintaining an attitude of thankfulness prevents me from becoming bitter.

 The Bible wisely instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."  Now why would someone have any reason to be thankful no matter what situation they're in?

Well, a believer can maintain this positive outlook because they know what God has already done for them.  God has shown true believers their original nature of sinfulness and graciously provided a way, through Jesus, to be cleansed from that sin.  Romans 3:25 says: "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith."  That means that when someone chooses to have faith in Jesus, their sins are paid for by His death on the Cross.  The consequence of their sin of disobedience towards God has been paid for in full through Christ's sacrifice; their sins are now forgiven.

Through the toughest circumstances, Jesus' followers know that Heaven is now their eternal home and are filled with joyful anticipation of one day arriving there.  Even death itself is not to be feared, for it is simply the abandonment of a flawed body for a perfect one.

But for many of us, that day is a long way off.  We, in our limited, human view need something more immediate.  Fortunately, because of God's grace, there are many blessings we can be thankful for in both our past and present.

For me, I look at all the great things I've been able to do in my life.  I was able to walk until I was 12 and had the opportunity to do many cool things.  I played soccer, went on boat rides in Rockford, Ill. with my Uncle Bob, and even joined a jazz dance class when I was 7.  That was especially interesting because I was the only boy in a group of 15 girls! 😂

But the experience that was the most awesome was my trip, at age 9, to Wisconsin to see a Green Bay Packers game.  The wonderful organization Make-A-Wish gave me an amazing all-expense paid trip to Green Bay to see a game.  First came a limo ride to Tampa Int'l Airport, a nice hotel room in Green Bay, and another limo ride to the game.  We got to go onto the field to watch the players warm up before heading up to our seats at about the 50 yard line.  The game was certainly not an exciting high scoring affair, but the Packers did win 6-3.

After the game I got to meet a bunch of Packers players, most notably eventual Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre!  To say I was starstruck at 9 years old is an understatement.  But most memorable of all was an incredible opportunity to go to the home of cornerback Tyrone Williams to have dinner with him and his family.  I had received Tyrone's jersey at the beginning of my experience, so he was very much involved in Make-A-Wish.  After dinner we went outside to his front yard and played a game of touch football with some neighborhood kids.  That was the highlight of the trip for me.

More recently, I became a writer and have published 2 books.  Not everyone can say that!  I also love sports and wrote a college football blog for 4 years. But I am most thankful for my mom, my dad, and my best friend Erik.  Their love and friendship are the fuel for my daily struggle against Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy.  And I can't forget to mention all my other good friends from First Baptist Church of Port Charlotte.

So, what blessings can you be thankful for?  Are there fun experiences you can look back on with fondness?  Is there someone whose friendship is special to you?  And most important of all, do you know Jesus whose very presence can bring you joy and salvation?  I pray you will pursue Jesus and remember to be thankful today.