When We Ask, “Why?”

Yesterday Americans celebrated Thanksgiving Day. It’s a time to share good food and fellowship with family and friends. It’s a time set aside to be thankful. It can be a time of sadness when there is an empty chair from the absence of a loved one. A year can bring grief, pain, sickness, accident, or financial upheaval. Many ask the question, “Why?” Why did bad things have to happen this past year? For the child of God, it’s the answer that brings peace and hope.

I spent years traveling, always keeping a suitcase on the ready. When I would visit my parents and it came time to make yet another trip to the airport, when I reached my destination, I always found a note from my mother tucked away someplace for me to find when I unpacked. She ended every note with I Thessalonians 5:18, In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Such an instruction from God may seem unrealistic. Why be thankful for bad things that happen? This is a mistaken understanding of the verse. The wrong question has been asked.

The right question is: “Jesus, will you help me through this?” He answers with a resounding, “Yes!” No one can avoid pain in this world, but when we cry, our tears are so precious to Him that He holds them in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). When we can’t see which way to go, He gives us direction. When we feel the pain of rejection from those we love, He wraps us in His love and comfort; Jesus was rejected, too. He understands everything we ever feel. Therefore, in His immeasurable love for us, He gives hope and comfort, inner strength and peace, and fortitude to carry us through each day. He shows us joy in other things around us; perhaps friends or family, or the cheery hello from a neighbor, the laughter we hear from a child, the affection from a pet. No matter any pain or sorrow, Jesus is our everything to get us through anything. In that, we can be very thankful.

I hope Americans enjoyed the special celebration of Thanksgiving Day. I hope everyday for all will be one of thankfulness and joy. Jesus is always our light even in the darkest of tunnels.