Seeking Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Here's a question that's bothered me for quite a while: I Thess. 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks." Yet, Christians always thank God for every good thing in their lives, but they do not thank Him for all of the bad things. When the pastor of our old church had a heart attack, the church members publicly thanked God that the paramedics arrived quickly, that surgery went well, etc. Why didn't they also say, "Thank you, God, for the pain and suffering of the heart attack itself!" When I had a near-miss a while back, my mom said, "Thank God that you're safe!" Would she have been equally as thankful if I'd actually been killed or maimed? I have never heard a Christian say, "Thank God my child was killed in a car accident. Praise the Lord!" What's up with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've heard people "give thanks" when someone young gets killed off. They're all sad but then they start the "spin." With all the "Well, they're in a better place." (How can they know?) Or, and this is what I was getting to, "They were saved from some future hardship." What? Okay. I guess we should just "give thanks." mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddbird1963 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 As a teenager/young adult I heard a few preachers mention giving thanks in the midst of the bad things. Not really FOR the bad things, but in the midst of the bad things - - kind of a nuanced spin on the idea of giving thanks for the bad things. A lot of pew sitters find such a thing to be very hard to accept, so I don't remember a whole lot of preachers preaching along that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest doveless Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Try matching it up with Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of hose who love him". According to what I was taught back in the day, this meant that even in the horrible things that happen in life, there was some ultimate good we should be thankful for. So the thinking wouldn't necessarily be "thank you that my child was killed in a car accident"...but, eventually, "thank you for helping me through the grief" or "thank you for bringing me closer to You" or something along those lines. (On an ironic note...I just cracked open my Bible for the first time in five years, and it was because of an ex-christian forum. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest doveless Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 That should be "those". Obviously. Although it's funnier with the typo... need.more.coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davka Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Yeah, bird and doveless (hi doveless! welcome!) pretty much covered it. The verse says "in all things," not "for all things." The Bible says lots of screwy, insane stuff, but this isn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotBlinded Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I think the whole idea of giving thanks for anything is an act that, unknowingly by the ones giving it, puts them in an exclusive set of people. God's chosen few. I remember giving thanks at holiday dinners and not thinking anything about how special we had to be in the eyes of God to actually have food. I was reminded about starving children. I never once thought about what I was saying or did I think about why God wouldn't provide food for the starving kids. Now I realize that by giving thanks, people are ignoring the reality of the ones that don't have food. It's a mind-block that allows one to feel like they are special and have a special place in the world without damning the ones that don't recieve. I have a niece-in-law that prayed that her son's knee wouldn't require surgery and praise be to God, he didn't. She sent out text messages about the power of prayer. Giving thanks and praise about the good things that happen to people is a pet peeve of mine, so I texted back, "God did what?" Later I asked her, "What about those kids with cancer that their parents prayed and prayed and the kids died anyway, yet God allows D's knee to be okay?" This hit home with her because she works at a school and she knew a child that did die of Lukemia. She said something like, "Don't spoil my happiness." I think that pretty much says it all. It's all about how they feel and how they view themselves as being blessed. I don't think this is a conscious act of arrogance and superiority to others, I just think they don't notice what it means when they do this. I know she didn't want to think about what I was saying, but I know she heard me and knew what I meant. When speaking of the bad things, my signature states my beliefs well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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