A Thankful Heart is Filled With Joy

• "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."
• This chorus is a wonderful reminder of the need for Christians to recognize God's blessings and to be thankful for them. All too often I find myself taking His blessings for granted. Those are times to stop, to reflect, to give thanks, and to rejoice in the Lord and His abundant blessings.
• Probably you have experienced some trying times in your life and have become so focused on the problem that the very foundations of your faith have wavered. It has happened to me. When that happens, it is time to stop and take inventory of the goodness of God and the hope that we have in the Lord. 
• May I share a story? When Jonathan was about two, he choked on a peanut. It was horrifying to us. As we rushed to the hospital for help, he coughed and coughed between short, raspy breaths. I had my hand on his back and I could feel the peanut vibrate with every breath. At the hospital, they took x-rays and saw no obstruction. In time, Jonathan calmed down and began to breathe better. With the improvement, he was discharged. 
• From that point on he got sick about once every two weeks with a fever and coughing up huge quantities of mucous. Off to the doctor we went every time. And time after time Jonathan went home with antibiotics. On antibiotics, our little boy got better -- for a few days. And then he would be sick again. After a couple of months of this cycle, a test was ordered to see if the lungs were filling equally with air. They weren't! So he was sent to Bangor for a bronchoscopy. They were going to take a look and see if there was a peanut down there, obstructing a bronchial tube. 
• As we sat in his room waiting for things to happen, the surgeon came in and he got very frank with us. He told us that a peanut -- especially a Spanish peanut with skin on it -- would be very irritating. He thought he would find damaged lung tissue. He expected Jonathan to lose as much as half of his lung. After all, if something was down there so long, it wouldn't be good. When the doctor left the room, two very shocked parents looked at each other and could barely speak. We felt a black cloud descend over us and push us down. 
• As we sat there, stunned, the Lord sent light to shine through the darkness.  He gave us the assurance that HE was in control of the situation. We grasped the truth that we could trust Him with our little guy and we clung to it. 
• The outcome was this: the doctors found an intact peanut. They plucked it out with no problem. The tissue was totally healthy. Jonathan kept his whole lung. After recovery from anesthesia he went home a healthy little boy, free of the cycle of illness and antibiotics. 
• God is GOOD. But what if Jonathan had lost half of his lung? What about God's goodness then? We talked about that. We were thankful for the miracle. Our hearts rejoiced at the mercy of God that was extended toward him and us. But we resolved in our hearts that our God is GOOD even if we do not understand what He is doing or why. 
• Think on these words from Philippians 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. . . do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
• Have a thankful heart! Thanksgiving brings joy. And joy brings more thanksgiving.