Living in the Storm Part III: Thankfulness

I Corinthians 11:23-24
²³For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
 ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

Jesus, mere hours away from suffering some of the cruelest torture humanity has ever invented, and then even more painful; bearing every thought and deed of human sinfulness upon His shoulders, feeling the weight of evil invade and penetrate His perfect heart; ALONE, separated from His Father, gave pause with his best of friends and the worst of enemy to give thanks.

I would have loved to have heard that prayer of thanksgiving. Did He simply give thanks for the bread, wine, and the feast that lie before Him?  Did He give thanks to His father for his friends, and his enemy? Knowing all that He knew, did He thank the triune God for the opportunity to suffer, beaten and torn, to reclaim all that were lost? Was it short and sweet or long and passionate? Did he cry? Or was He his voice strong and smooth as I have always imagined it being. Did his friends hear the words he prayed or were they distracted by smells and sight of the feast? Oh, one glorious day I will ask Him what He prayed.

It is not lost on me that on the most difficult night of Jesus' life he stopped and gave thanks. He knew the bloody path that He would soon be walking.  He knew all the pain His body would suffer, he created the human body and all of its intricacies. He knew that He was going to have to plunge the depths of hell on that night to save His beloved..... And He gave thanks.

It's November. It's the month of Thanksgiving. And even in this month there are many that are suffering some of the darkest days and nights of their lives. Oh, Christian, you are not alone! The road you walk is not unknown by your God.  The pain and agony that threatens to paralyze your joy is not far from the Father's mind. When death is staring you in the face, whether it's physical, emotional, or spiritual death..... pause, just as our Jesus did, and give thanks! The Lamb who was slain is worthy of all praise, glory and honor.

These posts about "living in the storm" are typically dedicated to the journey that I am walking on in regards to my mom's battle with Alzheimer's. Today this post about Thanksgiving is only an option for my heart b/c I am watching my mom and dad dance this dance of angelic thanksgiving and trust during the darkest days of their lives. We are not thankful for the disease and all the things that we are saying goodbye to. No, no, we are thankful for the unending, everlasting, never fading, always present,  God who is near to us. We are thankful for each other and the support, laughter, and constant reminder that we are not alone. We are thankful for the 65 years of life my mom has lived. And for every single day that we have with her and with each other! No mom, this is not your eulogy this, this is our dance of thanksgiving to YOU!!

Happy Thanksgiving Month,
~s