Thanks in All Circumstances

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

I'll admit that some days it's easier to be thankful than others; some days, I feel more like complaining than giving thanks. But despite how I feel, I come back to the Word of God, and there's the command: "Give thanks in all circumstances." I certainly haven't perfected the discipline of thankfulness, but I have noticed that when I give thanks--even when the circumstances are difficult and I struggle to come up with things for which I'm thankful--then God gives me a more joyful spirit and reminds me of his goodness and faithfulness. This week God has been impressing upon me the many reasons I have for gratitude. So here are a few of those reasons:

• God has lovingly created, redeemed, called, and equipped me "for the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:12) What a miraculous thing; what an undeserved privilege! And to think that I so often take God's love and his call for granted, brushing past it in my prayers to continue on to more specific but far less significant topics of conversation. Paul writes to Timothy, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service" (1 Tim. 1:12). Paul had plenty of reasons (at least from the world's point of view) to resent God's call to service, but he realized that he had been given a remarkable honor to serve God, and the challenges and frustrations of ministry were nothing in comparison to the abundant grace and love that he found in Jesus. Let this sense of humility and thankfulness be mine as I seek to know and serve God.


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  I have the opportunity to live with and learn from a great Tico family while studying in Costa Rica! The generosity of my host parents continues to amaze me. They make an effort to include me in family activities, but also give me my personal space. My host dad seems to enjoy being my language teacher, and we've had all kinds of conversations. He's patient and takes great interest in teaching me new words and phrases. Adjusting to a diet of rice and beans twice daily has been a bit of a challenge, but I figure that it's not too important in the overall scheme of things; it's part of having an authentic Costa Rican experience. The same goes for the cockroaches and rooster.


• My professors really know what they're doing, and my classmates find endless opportunities for laughter. Although my grammar teacher insists that "espanol es queque," I think that most of us still find it a challenge most days. I am, however, glad to be studying Spanish where I am among Christians excited to use Spanish on the mission field, in classrooms with a great teacher to student ratio, and in an environment where I am continually practicing my growing language skills. My classmates and I are pretty good at laughing at each other by now, and there's not really any competition to be better than someone else. Like true dorks, we've formed a "55 Verb Club" and have committed ourselves to studying a different verb everyday during our morning break--learning the conjugations and associated phrases. We even attempt to speak Spanish among each other. Apparently this is a pretty unique thing, as most other people are relieved to speak a little English outside the classroom. I'm thankful for a bunch of people who are as crazily determined to learn Spanish as me.


• I have multiple opportunities for service both at the school and in the community, which I've enjoyed taking advantage of. I am one of four rotating worship team leaders for chapel services at the school. It's been a lot of fun and a real blessing to sing, play, and worship with the other individuals on my team, and we received a lot of positive feedback after the chapel services this week. This is certainly appreciated affirmation that God is using our time and talents to bless his name and his people. I also have begun teaching a weekly English class at a local Christian ministry house. I team-teach a class of early-intermediate level students. We have two lessons of 50 minutes each, separated by a short snack break, song in English, and devotional led by the director in Spanish. All of my students are teens or adults, and we had a great time together this week, getting to know each other and practicing introductions. One other weekly opportunity I have is to go to one of the poor barrios (mainly populated by immigrants from Nicaragua) to help with an after school program. We play with the kids, sing a few songs, tell a Bible story, and break the kids up into groups for an activity. Most of the children are dirt-covered and runny-nosed, but they're thrilled to have love, attention, and an opportunity for play. For me, it's a chance to love with the love that Jesus loves me.


• I'm daily encouraged by the support and encouragement of new friends in Costa Rica and older, dear friends and family at home and various other places around the world. These people who have given of their love, their time, and, in some cases, their finances, enable me to be here. One of my early struggles in Costa Rica was to truly open myself up for new friendship. Four months seemed like a short time, and I wasn't excited about the idea of forming close friendships with people whom I would soon leave, perhaps to never see again. But my mom reminded me that some of my closest friendships have been formed during short but intense periods of my life--such as my semester of study abroad in Lithuania and my summer in Yosemite. What opportunities I would miss, if I chose to withhold my heart from individuals here! And so, I am blessed by the new people in my life, as well as the people who continue to be a part of my life from afar. I'm thankful for email and Skype which allows me to stay connected with people, and I'm thankful that these people continue to invest in me, despite the distance which makes it more difficult.


• Finally--well, there are a lot of other things that I could mention, but I'm trying to merely cover the main bases--I'm thankful for my health and strength of body and mind. Sometimes I may wish that my mind was a bit more adept or that my memory a bit more quick, but I am learning new things daily, and it's God who gives me that capacity for learning as well as physical activity. I've been running a lot here in the mornings. Although I'm not fully committed to the idea yet, I've begun training for a marathon in December. Twenty-six miles sounds like a lot, but so far, the runs have been fairly enjoyable, and I hit the 10 mile mark this morning. It's really not difficult to get up at 5:15 for a run when it's already light outside and the morning is cool and beautiful. It's also a great time to meet God as the day is just beginning, and I've met a lot of cool Ticos as well when I run at the track--although, conversing in Spanish at 5:30 AM as I run is a bit of a challenge.
  

So, those are the highlights. I guess that I really have a lot of things to be thankful for, and I pray that even in difficult circumstances, I will continue to give thanks and be joyful; not only is it healthy for me, but it brings glory to God!