Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of the Lord.

I remind myself of it often, this giving thanks is not just a guideline or a suggestion. This is the will of the Lord for me.

And His will is always for my good.

Giving thanks turns my eyes from the disappointments to the grace, from the heartbreak to the lavish love, from the pain to the process of healing.

God gives good gifts. He will withhold no good thing from those who love Him and follow Him. He is the sun and the shield.  He bestows favor and honor.

So I will count my blessings; I will name them one by one. I will see what the Lord has done as I look for His goodness in my ordinary, everyday life.

It’s a discipline I need to practice, repeat and rehearse. It is like a music piece that I stumble at in the beginning but becomes beautiful as I perfect it.

“In the good times praise His name. In the bad times do the same. In everything give the King of kings all the thanks.”

When the sun shines and when the storm gathers. When I am warm and when I am cold. When friends are near and when they cannot be found. When I am in good health and when I am sick. When money is plentiful and when I wonder how to pay the bills. When I am full and when I am empty. When I am bursting with joy and when my heart is torn wide open.

God is good no matter what. He will take what is hard and hurtful and redeem it, make it a time to teach me and draw me close to His heart. In His own miraculous way, He can bring beauty from ashes.

So this morning, I practice Eucharisteo when it is easy and when it is not. The giving of thanks is grace and it is joy.

This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for me. And Jesus is the best reason to be thankful for He is the greatest gift.

Sunday grace.