Creative Commons License photo credit: woodleywonderworks
November 23, 2010

Firestarter: “Thank you, God, I guess…”

By Nate LaClaire

“Thank you, God, I guess…”

When was the last time you said those words? How about this: when was the last time that your actions said those words? Last week I caught myself thinking essentially that very thought as I was looking through two weeks’ worth of mail and realized that I hadn’t missed a single bill or anything else of great import. I thanked God for protecting me from a seemingly little thing (my own procrastination, fueled by miserable road conditions), but then it occurred to me: there’s no money in my mailbox, either. Not that I was expecting any – most of my payments from clients are coming electronically right now – but this fact occurred to me and disappointed me. Also, there was this part of me that worried that perhaps something that I should have received hadn’t arrived. You know, like:

“It’s a gift, and a curse.”

God never gives us anything without taking something else away, right? And when He gives us a “break,” it’s just a well-disguised trial, correct? No, those statements are both wrong, and yet we often behave that way.

“You mean my car doesn’t need any repairs for an inspection sticker? Now I don’t dare make my next stop…”

God’s gifts come with no fine print and, as importantly, we are to praise Him even when there is some pain that accompanies a blessing. Why is it wrong to think “thank you, God, I guess…”? That’s simple: even if the good turns into a “bad,” we can rest in the knowledge that, ultimately, it’s still good. I don’t need to wonder if an important letter was misdirected because, if it was, it was all part of God’s plan. That doesn’t mean that I’ll enjoy the consequences, but He has it under control.

How about you? When did you last think, “Thank you, God, I guess…”?