I, with 100% accuracy, know God’s will for you today.
Really.
Without a doubt.
Isn’t that a relief?
The Bible tells me with certainty what his will is for you. It’s the same thing he wills for me.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (emphasis mine).
Maybe that’s not such a relief. It hasn’t always been a relief for me, anyway.
Sometimes taking the time to truly give thanks reveals that my “seeking God’s will” is really grumbling in my heart disguised as a question of his will for me.
This became very real to me a few years ago in a practical way. Our house is more than a little tight. Eight people in 2,200 square feet was getting a bit crowded. I constantly looked for ways to make our space more efficient so the people who live here had room to move. So our boys got a “pirate room” carved out of space in the attic above their bedroom (yes, we cut a hole in their ceiling and everything!). And my girls got a bunk bed that looks like a cottage under a tree, and a reading nook tucked away in the corner of their room under a window. We semi-converted our garage into a playroom for the kids. I even considered making a mini-bedroom under our staircase so our oldest child could have “his own room,” but it felt a little too Harry Potter… so we didn’t do it.
So, in the midst of struggling to add space to a really tight home, our across-the-street-neighbors (with two kids at home) added an 1,600 square foot addition to their 2,000 square foot house so they’d have “room to breathe.”
Every time I looked out my kitchen window, I saw the construction and the expansion of their home. Plus the new detached two-car garage with heated workshop. It took months to complete an addition like theirs. And every time I looked out the window or left home, there it was.
Space.
Space I didn’t have.
Space I wanted.
Space I began to covet.
Space I began to grumble about not having.
And all of a sudden I realized everyone around me had more space. My friends had kids with their own rooms – some kids we know had TWO rooms each. We knew couples living alone with more square feet than our EIGHT people shared. All of a sudden the community my kids loved seemed small in comparison to families with only one or two kids per room. My five boys sharing one small bedroom seemed unjust. My two girls sharing a room taken from half of a bathroom and ten feet of living space seemed unfair.
I would like to say, I quickly recognized my complaining and covetousness and repented, but I didn’t. I became a little bit bitter. I began to wonder if this was really God’s will for us. I began to question a lot of things that had nothing to do with quadruple level bunk beds… I wasn’t sure I could know God’s will, or at least I couldn’t distinguish it from the desire that held my heart.
Until God drew my attention to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
It took a while, but I began to be thankful. See, finding the right path was easy, it was choosing to take it that proved hard.
I began to be thankful for the ways God gifted me to creatively make space in our small house. I began to be thankful that our kids enjoy each other enough to survive sharing a room. I began to be thankful that we had a smaller space to clean, that we had less laundry to wash, and a HUGE kitchen island where our whole family could gather. At some point, I stopped noticing the addition across the street.
It didn’t go away.
We don’t have any more room.
We added another child.
But I learned to be thankful in this circumstance.
And I am learning a contentment with God’s will by learning to walk in his will: “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.”
As we move toward our official observance of Thanksgiving, I think it’s a good time to remember that giving thanks was never meant to be an annual thing; it was meant to be a constant thing. And it’s God’s will for us to do so.
As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, maybe it’s a good time to commit to a habit of thanksgiving.
Our pastor asked us to write thank you letters each day of November to people who made a difference in our lives, and you certainly are one. I started following your blog because your sister Melissa Grace posted a link to it. I enjoy your positive outlook on all sorts of situations and look forward to reading it each time it’s posted on my email. But, more importantly, your candid sharing of your faith journey touches my heart. Although my children are long grown with children of their own, I share your struggle to be all Jesus wants me to be. Your blog encourages and challenges me on this journey. Thank you!
Oh, Nancy! Thanks so much for your encouragement! It’s hard to know if a blog sent into cyberspace makes a difference. I appreciate you thinking of me as an application of your pastor’s request. I know a lot of what I write is directed to moms with kids at home, but I also think (hope) the things that tug at my heart, calling my attention back to Christ and his sufficiency for me will follow me long after the craziness of this season has passed. While I certainly hope to have victory over my present sin, I also hope to still crave his pleasure. It’s so sweet to hear you do – and continue striving for grace and his glory.
Our pastor asked us to write thank you letters each day of November to people who made a difference in our lives, and you certainly are one. I started following your blog because your sister Melissa Grace posted a link to it. I enjoy your positive outlook on all sorts of situations and look forward to reading it each time it’s posted on my email. But, more importantly, your candid sharing of your faith journey touches my heart. Although my children are long grown with children of their own, I share your struggle to be all Jesus wants me to be. Your blog encourages and challenges me on this journey. Thank you!
Oh, Nancy! Thanks so much for your encouragement! It’s hard to know if a blog sent into cyberspace makes a difference. I appreciate you thinking of me as an application of your pastor’s request. I know a lot of what I write is directed to moms with kids at home, but I also think (hope) the things that tug at my heart, calling my attention back to Christ and his sufficiency for me will follow me long after the craziness of this season has passed. While I certainly hope to have victory over my present sin, I also hope to still crave his pleasure. It’s so sweet to hear you do – and continue striving for grace and his glory.
Hi Julia,
I hope you & your family are having a great time 24/7 with your husband/dad. I didn’t hear if you were going away, but whatever ya’ll are doing….have fun!
I’m going to pass this on to Mona. After living in a very large church manse for 5 years, they had to downsize a lot for their move to TX. Mona had a yard sale & gave a lot of furniture away thinking that would help. Now she’s finding she still doesn’t have room for even a lot of the necessities that they packed. Your blog will help put it in perspective for her. Thank you for writing this blog. I always look forward to reading it.
I hope she and Mark continue to find their hope, peace, and confidence in Christ in their new pastorate. I think people sometimes forget pastors (and their wives) are people – and struggle just like everyone else. God gives us grace for our calling, to be sure, but it doesn’t make us super-human somehow. 🙂 We all need the perspective of gratitude for all Christ has done for us, even when circumstances would tug our eyes off of him.
Hi Julia,
I hope you & your family are having a great time 24/7 with your husband/dad. I didn’t hear if you were going away, but whatever ya’ll are doing….have fun!
I’m going to pass this on to Mona. After living in a very large church manse for 5 years, they had to downsize a lot for their move to TX. Mona had a yard sale & gave a lot of furniture away thinking that would help. Now she’s finding she still doesn’t have room for even a lot of the necessities that they packed. Your blog will help put it in perspective for her. Thank you for writing this blog. I always look forward to reading it.
I hope she and Mark continue to find their hope, peace, and confidence in Christ in their new pastorate. I think people sometimes forget pastors (and their wives) are people – and struggle just like everyone else. God gives us grace for our calling, to be sure, but it doesn’t make us super-human somehow. 🙂 We all need the perspective of gratitude for all Christ has done for us, even when circumstances would tug our eyes off of him.
Thanks for being honest about this. We are merely 5 plus a large dog in our 1800sq ft and we don’t want to/can’t afford to move. But I find the conflicts that arise between my children or between how to best use this space between my husband and I cause me to think we MUST need more space, that God has not provided. But if we tried to add space or move, we wouldn’t be able to do the things God has called us to financially- like give to our church or support other ministries. Not to mention that sometimes these conflicts bring us closer, I’d rather just not have them. Can you tell I still struggle being content in this area…??? But God is reminding me continually of my privilege, my affluence and to stop navel gazing in what I think I don’t have, but rather be glad and generous to others. Not only becuase I have plenty (really, I do) but because He is The Provider and because He knows if I am aware of others’ needs then He can use me. What a privilege to know a God like that. He is so patient with me.
Anyways, thanks for your post. I enjoyed purusing your blog and just signed up for the advent emails.
Sarah –
I love that thought – it causes us to “think we MUST need more space that God has not provided.” That’s exactly the trap! God provides exactly what we need, so if we don’t have it, we must not actually need it. Oh, that I could keep that perspective moment-by-moment! Thanks for sharing your heart!
Thanks for being honest about this. We are merely 5 plus a large dog in our 1800sq ft and we don’t want to/can’t afford to move. But I find the conflicts that arise between my children or between how to best use this space between my husband and I cause me to think we MUST need more space, that God has not provided. But if we tried to add space or move, we wouldn’t be able to do the things God has called us to financially- like give to our church or support other ministries. Not to mention that sometimes these conflicts bring us closer, I’d rather just not have them. Can you tell I still struggle being content in this area…??? But God is reminding me continually of my privilege, my affluence and to stop navel gazing in what I think I don’t have, but rather be glad and generous to others. Not only becuase I have plenty (really, I do) but because He is The Provider and because He knows if I am aware of others’ needs then He can use me. What a privilege to know a God like that. He is so patient with me.
Anyways, thanks for your post. I enjoyed purusing your blog and just signed up for the advent emails.
Sarah –
I love that thought – it causes us to “think we MUST need more space that God has not provided.” That’s exactly the trap! God provides exactly what we need, so if we don’t have it, we must not actually need it. Oh, that I could keep that perspective moment-by-moment! Thanks for sharing your heart!