He's a Good, Good Father

Just because I put my Christmas tree up in October doesn’t mean I’m anti-Thanksgiving. I mean, come on. I was just super excited about all the Christmas decorations I had for my new house. (Besides, there aren’t many “Thanksgiving decorations”…you usually just decorate for fall)

Anyway, I love this time of year because I love the holiday spirit. I love Christmas and I love Thanksgiving. I love the attitudes and hearts of people around this time of year. It is THE best. Oh my word. I love it.

So, Thanksgiving. I love this holiday. I love what it stands for. It’s a day (or days) that families and friends come together and celebrate all that they have been blessed with. It’s truly humbling when you begin to reflect over everything you’re thankful for because we’ve all been given so much. I also really love how thankfulness is woven throughout the entire Bible. So many verses point to how our attitudes should be that of thanks. One of my favorites says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is GOOD; for His steadfast love endures FOREVER” -1 Chronicles 16:34 (obviously emphasis added courtesy of me ;)).

The Lord is good. I whole-heartedly think that is something that is very easy for Christians to say, but it takes on an entirely new meaning when we have to believe it. Many of you reading this know that I’m super type A. I love a plan, because is anything truly successful without a game plan? ;) (also, a sidenote: college has taught me that it’s okay to do spur of the moment and not have a plan, unfortunately that tends to come into play with the homework. whoops). So I have thought about my life a lot. And being this planner-type person, I often present my life plan to the Father and expect Him to be okay with it and let life follow my plan exactly. Yet, somehow when things don’t go according to Addie’s plan, I start to freak out because that’s not what I told the Lord I wanted; so do I really believe He is good in those moments?

Here’s a snapshot of Addie’s plan for college: I would go to the college I’ve loved since I was a little girl. I would pursue a degree in education and love every minute of it, never once questioning my choice. I would meet an extremely handsome man who loved Jesus my freshman year. We would date until our senior year, when he would propose to me with a beautiful ring. We would plan for a summer wedding and I would begin my first teaching job in August. We would have a cute little house in central Arkansas and enjoy married life for several years before we started a family.

Crazy, right? I remember presenting this plan to the Lord over and over, justifying it with the fact that I loved Him and my husband and I would serve Him whenever and wherever we could. But as things according to my plan began falling out of place, I started panicking because it was not the plan. The failed relationship. The burnout on school. The frequent questioning of whether I was doing what I wanted or if I was doing what God wanted. The overwhelmingness of life. They weren’t the plan. I didn’t make room for those things in my plan, so how could those be good things? How could the Lord still be good if my life wasn’t going the way I wanted it? After all, none of the things I planned for were necessarily bad things.

But what I have learned is that when my plan falls apart and I feel broken, that’s when God works to bring His plan to the forefront of my life. That is when He whispers His promises and His plan for my life slowly starts to fall into place. Those moments are what I am truly thankful for this Thanksgiving season. Man, if you’ve never been to point where you just feel completely broken and lost and the Lord comes to where you are and you feel His presence all around you, you are missing out. It is ugly. It is hard. It brings up pain you didn’t even know was there. But it is so comforting. It is so peaceful. It is so joyful and true. Man, it is GOOD stuff. And I am reminded that even in the hurt, the Lord is good.

In those moments I have learned that even when my plan is completely shattered and I’m doing things I never thought I would, the Lord is still good and His love for me is far greater than I can even comprehend. My best case scenario doesn’t even compare to God’s “worst case scenario” (which He doesn’t even have). I am so thankful that no matter my circumstances my God is STILL good.

I am grateful that the Lord has taught me to find thankfulness in the times of hurt and brokenness. One of my favorite worship songs says:

            You’re a good, good Father

            It’s who You are

            I’m loved by You

            It’s who I am

I love this song because it reminds me of the goodness of the Father. He is perfect. He is all-knowing. He is omnipresent. He sees the end of my life when I can only see this moment. He sees how each and every one of my failed plans work for my good and how even in the times of failure there is something to be thankful for. That completely blows me away.

So today, on the day after Thanksgiving, let me encourage you, friend, to find thankfulness in all situations—in the seasons of joy and in the seasons of trial. And I hope you find joy and hope in the fact that we serve a good Father.

I pray that your holiday season is blessed and that we can keep these attitudes of joy and thanks year round. I’m so thankful for you all, friends! Happy Thanksgiving!

“Give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18