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“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

Middle of the week and we had no power.  You got it  – a car accident took out a main light pole in our neighborhood.  As I drove home from work, the sun was vanishing and dusk was settling in.  By the time I reached our driveway, I began to realize the full impact of the increasing darkness.  Luckily my sister had brought over three battery operated lanterns, and I quickly placed them all in the center of our kitchen counter.  The light shining forth was a welcomed relief.  Enough to enable me to fix a salad and eat a cold dinner.  This was doable.

I quickly realized, however, that sitting at the kitchen counter for the night was my only option if I kept the lanterns together.  So I began spreading them throughout our main living area and what a difference it made.  Each lantern illuminated and shined brightly where they were placed giving our room a warm cozy feel. I was no longer limited to just one space.

Lanterns are a lot like gratitude.  If we only praise God when life is good then we limit our view of God’s greatness.  It is doable to express our thankfulness in the face of ease and joy. When life is exciting and everything is just as we planned. But what about those moments when challenges and trials rise to the surface lurking in the darkness?  Dark is never our fave place to be, right?  Safe doesn’t fit being in the dark.  Clear vision fades in the darkness.  Clarity slips in the dark. Simply put, we prefer to be in the light where gratitude flows effortlessly.

Yet life happens, and we experience unexpected moments when gratitude slips away. We zero in on the circumstances and allow ourselves to become grumblers, overwhelmed and undone extinguishing our gratitude. Grasping towards what isn’t versus what is.

When I moved those lanterns to different areas in my home they shined forth right where they were placed.  Spreading light so I could see more clearly.  Gratitude works the same way. When we actively choose to praise God in the midst of the darkness, His light shines forth and illuminates our hearts. We lean in closer and gain a renewed perspective of His character and His presence. We learn how to trust more deeply in the one who has all things under His control.  And the most beautiful part is the light shining in us begins to flow out to others.  When people know our stories and witness our hearts filled with gratitude despite our pain and heartache, they too are drawn to God.

Sweet friends, we can choose to hover our focus in one direction – praising God when good defines us.  But a better choice, the best choice, is to allow our gratitude to encompass all areas of our lives, every part of our story including the good, bad and ugly.  Chapters we’d rather not write, yet ones God can use for His glory when we allow authentic, sacrificial gratitude to define us.

“Father, You are greatly blessed when we intentionally choose to praise You in the dark.  The enemy is defeated, and our hearts are filled with the joy of Your presence – best place to land – grateful hearts in all circumstances.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life