Jesus Never Said Thankful was Easy

by Julie Dibble

When COVID first hit, everyone panicked. Churches and schools secured their doors. Businesses were caught between the concurrent need for stability and a disease-free sanctuary. Personally, grocery trips were particularly anxiety-provoking. I had heard of people sanitizing each grocery item before bringing it into the house. I wanted to be cautious, not because I worried for myself, but I didn't want to bring anything home to my husband and boys.

The first Sunday after the shut-down, I let everyone I could think of know that I would be preaching in the parking lot of the church. In the words of Paul, “God’s word is not chained,” (2 Timothy 2:9) nor will it ever pass away.

Meanwhile, as many of us did, I prayed for God to lift this plague, this global pandemic wrought with tendrils slithering down its victims’ lungs. I believed God not only could lift it but that He would do it as He did through Moses for Pharaoh (Exodus 9:13-16).

Time wore on, though, as if in slow motion. I recall opening our front door one Saturday to see no sign of life walking, doing yard work, or even driving. An eerie stillness had overcome our town. I am thankful for the discernment God has given me. When stillness is eerie, it is not His presence you are in. I asked my Lord:

What are You doing, God? More practically, what do You want us to do?

When you consider this temporary, difficult life from heaven’s perspective, Holy Spirit leads you in word, thought and action to be pleasing to Him. Jesus never said it would be easy to remain thankful in situations in which the enemy has cornered so many in fear, in which God has allowed many to lose their lives.

Yet Jesus is holy and perfect. His Word says have faith and … even if it is just the size of a miniscule mustard seed, you, too, can live victoriously through Him (Matthew 17:20). If we are honest in our confessions, we know what it takes to be thankful in all things.

• Lay the complaints, especially those regarding our personal preferences, down at His feet.

• Repeat and believe several times a day, His ways are not my ways.

• See His hand at work in our daily lives. God is not just a Sunday Dad. Nor does He only show up during our sacred devotional times. Jesus says Our Father is always working (John 5:17).

During this time and even now, it is not wrong to follow the news but do so as Jesus commanded:

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).

Notice He doesn’t give us license to smatter our personal opinions all over the internet. We are to represent Him in the midst of struggle, in the deepest of valleys, and speak from the rooftops all that He tells in the dark (Matthew 10:27). Be wise. Limit the negativity and stress to which you expose yourself. Before you enter in, remember the Great Commission still applies, maybe even more so.

I recall the news being depressing during this time. It was heart-breaking to see how so many needed hospitalization but couldn’t get it. Some hospitals were full. At the same time people were dying, many were whining about COVID’s inconveniences. When we love Jesus, we shall not and cannot respond to everything but pay special attention to those who can’t fight for themselves. I trust God heard all His saints praying around the globe for healing, for medical staff, for protection. God showed mercy upon whom He chose to do so (Romans 9:15). I witnessed His faithfulness in bringing my mother-in-law, father-in-law and son through COVID without any complications.

Our particular neighborhood came alive during this time of isolation. New friendships, peer checkins, food drop-offs. In our Dibble family, we played many board games and spent precious time with each other.

In church prior to COVID, I had taught two inperson classes. I was gearing to teach another one in person. During this separation from people, I planned to wait until we could all gather with our Bibles and hold hands while we prayed to begin class. Holy Spirit knew the Father’s plans. He convicted me to teach this class online, not to wait, to act swiftly in fact. Our God knew how much we needed community, how much we needed to stay close to His Living Water, and whom was broken before COVID and needed cared for. The class was called Deepening Our Love for God. It was a privilege to be used in this manner as He spoke to each and every one through the lessons and our times of prayer.

Yet, while we here on earth, there are still more that need His love, His truth, His forgiveness.

Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

Let us not become weary of being thankful either, no matter the season or situation:

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

Our praise and thanks may be a sacrifice at times, one in which He honors in full. When we can’t leap around in pretty-colored boots with a sloppy smile thanking God for all things, we do not give up. We bow our heads, allowing our heart’s beat to praise and thank our One True God.

None of us will ever be thank-full 100% of the time. That is, until Jesus comes back. We shall have no tempter along on the ride to heaven to whisper ways we should criticize the angels or incite bitterness because we hadn’t received our latte before lift-off. No, the victory in full will be ours because Our Lord and Savior not only died for us, but He rose again. He not only made us His own before He ascended, but He is coming back to claim us for eternity. If that doesn’t evoke a “Hallelujah Thank You, Lord!” … you might want to check your pulse.