Thankfulness in Chaos

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“I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth.”
- Psalm 138:1-2a CSB -


There’s little and big things to be thankful for every day. For instance, I’m thankful for a place to sleep at night and for food in the pantry. I’m thankful for my friends, family, job, and school. There are little things we can be thankful for when we look around and see. Sometimes when life is hard it is challenging to remember to be thankful. When school gets overwhelming, our friends get to be too much, and we have trouble sleeping at night, it can be hard to remember to be thankful. Four weeks ago my husband had major surgery. We dealt with many doctor visits, tests, waiting during surgery, the hospital stay, and many other factors which contributed to what felt like chaos. 

In the times when it is most challenging to be thankful, it is the most important to be thankful. Verses such as these in Psalm 138 remind us of the important of being thankful to God. We are thankful to Him for all he has done for us. During the preparation before surgery, the waiting during surgery, and the recovery we have been in since then, we have found many things to be thankful for. God the great Provider has given us support from friends and family. I’ve also been thankful that when things are good or when things are hard, God is still God. He is still the Provider, He is good, He is our Father. Especially in the midst of my husband’s surgery, I am thankful to God for these things.

I encourage you as you go about your summer to find things for which to praise God. It could be something good that happens in your life, simply the ability to take a breath, or praising God for the great Gospel in which we believe. Look for ways to be thankful at home, in your activities, at church, and as you go about your day. Thank God for all these things. I also encourage you to praise God for who He is. Thank Him for who he is such as being the Provider, for being Love, or for being Truth. Take the opportunity to say “thank you” to God today.

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