\u201cThe secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.\u201d -Elizabeth Elliot\u00a0<\/p>

I was really sick. Feverish, sore throat, headache, the whole thing. But I have three children. I had no option but to keep tending to them. And of course, my baby decided that was a perfect week to have a sleep regression. Tired, sick, and miserable, but still having to get up to make their lunch, I felt that I had every right to grumble. <\/p>

But grumbling is no more an attractive quality in a child of God than it is in my own two year old. I knew I needed to give thanks in all things, I just didn\u2019t want to. I wanted to feel sorry for myself. <\/p>

\u201cRejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks<\/em>; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.\u201d <\/p>

(I Thess. \u202d5\u202c:\u202d16\u202c-\u202d18\u202c italics added for emphasis<\/em>)<\/p>

This is the part I get tripped up on. I know the Bible tells me to give thanks in everything, but what does that actually look like? I think Elizabeth Elliot found the answer. <\/p>

Giving thanks in all things looks like a quiet heart. It looks like contentment. It looks like resting in the knowledge that Christ has already given me all I need for life and flourishing. <\/p>

Therefore, what need have I to worry or complain? The mark of a child of God is one who refuses to engage in grumbling and chooses thankfulness instead. For indeed, thankfulness, like love, is a choice. It is an action, not a feeling. It is the overflow of a heart postured toward trust in God. <\/p>

As I stood at my kitchen counter, I took a deep breath and began to list out loud the things around me I could be thankful for, even in the midst of illness. <\/p>

\u201cI am thankful for a warm house in which to rest when I\u2019m sick.\u201d<\/p>

\u201dI am thankful I have food to prepare for my family.\u201d<\/p>

\u201dI am thankful that this world, filled with disease and exhaustion, is not my home.\u201d <\/p>

\u201dI am thankful for salvation.\u201d<\/p>

\u201dI am thankful for Jesus.\u201d<\/p>

Even if I only had salvation, I would still have all that I need. Indeed, that is more than I deserve. What other reason do I need to be thankful? <\/p>

Trials will come. You and I will feel grief, defeat, loneliness, betrayal, sickness, and exhaustion. In those moments, bring it all to the Lord. In the midst of sorrow, offer your thankfulness as a sacrifice of praise. <\/p>

If I truly trust the Lord as I say I do, then I can rest in the knowledge that everything I experience in this life is held in His hands. If I believe that, I can be content in all things. \u201c . . . For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:\u201d (Phil. \u202d4\u202c:\u202d11\u202c) And if I am content in all things, I can be thankful in all things. Thankfulness and contentment go hand in hand. <\/p>

A life hidden in Christ is free to be thankful in all things. So I can stop fretting over whether I\u2019m \u201cthankful enough.\u201d The key is abiding in Christ. And as I do that, a life of thankfulness follows.<\/p>

~<\/p>

Written by: Kathryn Davenport\u00a0<\/p>

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Instagram: @thepastorskid12<\/p>

Author bio:\u00a0Kathryn grew up as a pastor\u2019s kid, so she naturally developed a love for spiritual study and writing. Kathryn lives in Texas and is a stay-at-home mama of a growing family. She is a devoted follower of Jesus and is passionate about family, truth, the church, worship, and impacting the culture around her.\u00a0<\/p>

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kathryn Davenport  \u201cThe secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.\u201d -Elizabeth Elliot\u00a0 I was really sick. Feverish, sore throat, headache, the whole thing. But I have three children. I had no option but to keep tending to them. And of course, my baby decided that was a perfect week to have a sleep regression. Tired, sick, and miserable, but still having to get<\/p>\n

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