This is the season when we are supposed to be filled with joy and thanksgiving, yet it is so difficult to even say those words during times of painful loss. There is an emptiness that won’t go away, that can’t seem to be filled, and that continually gnaws at the heartstrings letting us know that something is wrong.
Remind yourself often that grief is a very private matter, and it affects all of our relationships with family, friends, and our world. Inwardly we know that there will be a day and a time when we can freely and easily say “thank you,” but maybe that day is not right now. The important thing is to know that there will be a day when you will feel joy and thankfulness again.
A good alternative to thankfulness is trusting……trusting that one day you will feel thankful. Trusting that you will smile again. Trusting that you will laugh with others again. Trusting that you will love again.
There is a seed of inner strength we call hope that is embedded deep within the center of your heart, and in due time that seed will sprout. And, you will know because what is now dark will come alive. What is now sorrow will be joy. What is now pain will be peace. Trust and hope and thankfulness will follow! –C. Hinton
“I will trust when I cannot see.” --Clara Hinton
“But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord.” --Psalm 31:14a
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 19, 2007
Giving Thanks in the Midst of Pain
It’s difficult. It’s very difficult to be thankful when your heart is hurting. It’s difficult to be thankful when you are in the presence of happy, busy people and you feel so sad and alone. Life can be brutally painful when we are expected to say thank you but we cannot even begin to mouth the words.
How can we give thanks in the midst of job loss, illness, broken relationships, and death? How is it possible to thank God, our Father, when we have been pummeled by the storms of life? How does a heavy heart find the strength to look heavenward and say, “Thank you” during moments of doubt?
We can only say thank you when we understand who our Father is. We can only feel peace when we are aware of the blessing of hope. We can only whisper words of praise when we understand that the pain will not last forever.
We have a Father watching over us, and He has promised to be faithful and never leave us. He has given us the blessings of the sunrise and the sunset, the starry skies, and the changing seasons. He also knows when we need our heart to be held, and right at that moment He sends help to carry us through.
Who is your help today? The kind voice of a friend. A strong shoulder to lean on. A person to hold us close and dry our tears. The warm sunshine against our face. The rainbow painting the heavens with splendor.
Yes, even at the deepest point of our pain, God assures us that He is near, and we can face the day with hope! –C. Hinton
“A day without hope is a day without sunshine.” --Clara Hinton
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” --Psalm 23:1
How can we give thanks in the midst of job loss, illness, broken relationships, and death? How is it possible to thank God, our Father, when we have been pummeled by the storms of life? How does a heavy heart find the strength to look heavenward and say, “Thank you” during moments of doubt?
We can only say thank you when we understand who our Father is. We can only feel peace when we are aware of the blessing of hope. We can only whisper words of praise when we understand that the pain will not last forever.
We have a Father watching over us, and He has promised to be faithful and never leave us. He has given us the blessings of the sunrise and the sunset, the starry skies, and the changing seasons. He also knows when we need our heart to be held, and right at that moment He sends help to carry us through.
Who is your help today? The kind voice of a friend. A strong shoulder to lean on. A person to hold us close and dry our tears. The warm sunshine against our face. The rainbow painting the heavens with splendor.
Yes, even at the deepest point of our pain, God assures us that He is near, and we can face the day with hope! –C. Hinton
“A day without hope is a day without sunshine.” --Clara Hinton
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” --Psalm 23:1
Monday, April 9, 2007
Giving Thanks in All Things
Did you ever wonder why “giving thanks in all things” has been put in the bible? I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has struggled with that portion of Scripture. In fact, I know that I’m not the only one.
Most of us can be thankful when the tide is flowing in our direction, when the sun is shining upon our face, and when all good things are coming our way. But, when our lives are shattered, battered, and tattered, it’s another story. The words “thank you” don’t even come to mind, much less come from our lips. Yet……………we are told that it’s good and right for us to give thanks always.
When grief enters the door of our heart, we often speak a foreign language for a long time. We cry tears of pain and loneliness, and our hearts ache so bad that we cannot even think, let alone speak. The only utterances that come from us are groans of pain. The emptiness that we feel cannot be described. How can we give thanks?
I am convinced that God understands our hearts when they are full of grief, and He allows us to feel the pain, walk the journey, and come back to Him in order than we might once again say “thank you” for the blessings of life, for the miracles found in each day, and for the hope of heaven.
If you are struggling in your walk today, and cannot say “thank you”, don’t allow the additional burden of guilt to weigh you down. God knows you, He knows your heart, and He loves you. He will instill within you enough hope to carry you to a place of thankfulness in time. For today, rest in His arms, and allow His love to warm your broken heart, and feel His peace. –Clara Hinton
“Every day contains the gift of hope.” --C. Hinton
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
Most of us can be thankful when the tide is flowing in our direction, when the sun is shining upon our face, and when all good things are coming our way. But, when our lives are shattered, battered, and tattered, it’s another story. The words “thank you” don’t even come to mind, much less come from our lips. Yet……………we are told that it’s good and right for us to give thanks always.
When grief enters the door of our heart, we often speak a foreign language for a long time. We cry tears of pain and loneliness, and our hearts ache so bad that we cannot even think, let alone speak. The only utterances that come from us are groans of pain. The emptiness that we feel cannot be described. How can we give thanks?
I am convinced that God understands our hearts when they are full of grief, and He allows us to feel the pain, walk the journey, and come back to Him in order than we might once again say “thank you” for the blessings of life, for the miracles found in each day, and for the hope of heaven.
If you are struggling in your walk today, and cannot say “thank you”, don’t allow the additional burden of guilt to weigh you down. God knows you, He knows your heart, and He loves you. He will instill within you enough hope to carry you to a place of thankfulness in time. For today, rest in His arms, and allow His love to warm your broken heart, and feel His peace. –Clara Hinton
“Every day contains the gift of hope.” --C. Hinton
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
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