Blessings 365: Day 32: Thankfulness on the hard days

Sometimes you're in the middle of a situation and you wonder, "Where's the blessing in this?"  In fact, it feels almost wrong to look for something to be thankful for.  


But His word says, "Give thanks for all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess. 5:18)  And in Hebrews 13:15 we are told, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  Again, Eph 5:20, "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."


I'm sure there are many other verses, but these three make it pretty clear. Give thanks for all things.  Even if it doesn't feel natural.  Even if it feels like a "stretch."  Give thanks for all things.


Today is one of those days when it's hard to find the blessing in a situation.


Today, with all the kids in the car, we ran over our puppy and killed him.  It was terrible. It was horrible.  Severus just ran under the car before any of us even saw him.

So how do you find the blessing?

What can you possibly give thanks for?

I've spent the afternoon tossing these questions around in my mind.  It is hard to find the "beautiful" in this "ugly."

• I'm thankful it wasn't one of our children that was hit.

• I'm thankful that he died quickly....in a matter of seconds he was gone.

• I'm thankful we've had the afternoon together to talk and "process."

That's about it.  Like I said, it's a stretch....but I'm determined to be intentionally thankful in ALL situations.