Letting Go and Giving Thanks by Karma Pratt

Giving thanks in all circumstances is not something that has come naturally to me. As I've grown as a Christ follower, I've slowly let go of old feelings and beliefs. I've experienced a softening around the edges, and allowed God's grace to sink deep into my bones, transforming me from the inside out. This process of becoming has turned thanksgiving  into a permanent fixture rather than an optional "when I feel like it" approach to life.

Part of God's work in my life has been to guide me in letting go of my need to control outcomes. This has helped tremendously when it comes to giving thanks in all circumstance. I have become a "recovering know-it-all", as Sarah Bessey writes in her book Out of Sorts. In the past I always felt I knew the best way in every circumstance; it was my way after all! Believing that I was in control, and succumbing to stress and anxiety whenever things weren't going according to plan - these were some of my go-to beliefs that got me through my days. Those days seemed more like nightmares at times!

Having children effectively cured me from my know-it-all-ness. No longer could I be certain of anything in life. My tiny humans set their own schedules from the beginning, and, when my expectations and their needs collided, their best interests always took precedence over mine.

God is so good! He knew exactly what motivation I needed to look past myself and grow a heart that desires to put others' needs before my own. In serving others, I am ultimately serving God. He started with lessons learned through family relationships, and has continued to expand and refine my heart to help and serve in other ways. He paved the way so I could see the blessings even when things weren't going "my way". In the words of singer/songwriter, David Bracken, he "scaled me down".

My touchstone Scripture verse is:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.
~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust and thanksgiving go hand in hand. The more we trust God with every part of our lives, the more freely we offer our thanks with joy.

Truth exemplified: I do most of my writing in the evening after the kids are in bed. I value my creative down time, and do my best to protect it from interruptions. Last night, however, I was interrupted by a sick child with a sore throat. He needed comfort and cuddles more than I needed to stay connected to my computer.

So, I let go of my plan, washed it away along with everything else in the day, secure in the knowledge that God had me exactly where He wanted me in that moment. I gave thanks for the opportunity to provide the comfort and reassurance my son needed, and trusted that the writing would happen as it was meant to. Learning to let go has been one of the greatest gifts God has given me. It's one of the ways He's helping shape my life as a writer. It's my prayer that we may all learn to let go, and become truth bearers, not for our benefit, but for the benefit and glory of God.

What have you had to let go of in your writing journey?

Give Thanks in Everything as We Write – by Sandi Somers

“There’ll be times when you wonder how you can possibly thank (God) for something that turns your life upside-down…Let us, then, at times like these, give thanks on faith alone…obedient, trusting, hoping, believing.” So wrote the author Jan Karon.[i]

Prompt: Share an experience in your writing life when you found that to give thanks was especially difficult—but yet you did give thanks. How did you find your way to victory? What did God teach you through this experience?

Transforming Adverse Situations

A number of years ago while taking a course on memoir writing, I tried writing an article about my elementary school years. At first all I could remember was being bullied and ostracized. I was even misunderstood by my teacher.

Writing that article took a lot of time and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I felt as though all my writing energy was being sucked into a black hole—a soul hole. The article had no neat and tidy resolution of someone coming to my rescue or helping me through it. Even God didn’t seem to comfort me (2 Corinthians 1:3b-4), because at that young age, I hadn’t learned how to talk to Him in my troubles.

 I set the article aside and turned my attention to other writing.

However, that unresolved story stayed in my mind, needling me like a pebble in my shoe. I wanted to understand why God had allowed my suffering. Perhaps like Job, I would never know. I just had to trust that He had a reason. Would that be enough for me?

I began journaling my questions, reflections and scriptures.

And all the while God reminded me, “In everything give thanks.”

  

Now thanking God in everything has been one of my life principles. God causes all things to work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Thanking God clears the clutter of my mind and spirit from frustration, anxiety or disappointment. Then in quiet moments He can freely give me His word and. encouragement

Thanking God opens the door to a more creative attitude.

And thanking God turns my eyes from my viewpoint to what God has to say to me.

God reminded me that I had to work through layers of forgiveness—forgiving those who had hurt me and forgiving myself. As I forgave, God gradually healed me (and is still healing me) of the injuries from what I had missed out on friendships and in my education.

Some time later, I attended a women’s retreat. As the speaker shared her childhood story of abuse, she said, “God wouldn’t have given us those life experiences unless He wanted to use them for His glory.”  

Yes! This was the insight I had been seeking. God wants to touch someone’s life through those experiences.

But God had a further answer for me. I awoke one night with an overwhelming sense of God’s presence. He was filling me with gratitude for those childhood traumas and transforming them into things of beauty.

I may never delve into the details of that story. But the details don’t matter now.  What is more important is that as I surrender my issues to God and thank Him—even where I have been mistreated—He will accomplish His purposes both in my life and in ministry to others.

Challenge:

Now it’s time for your blog.  To develop your thoughts, follow this link to a short sermon on the Apostle Paul’s secrets for giving thanks.

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[i] Jan Karon. In This Mountain.” New York: Viking. 2002. p 312.