Tomorrow is the day when we traditionally give thanks for God’s kindnesses to us. We certainly have many reasons to be thankful. But have you ever stopped to consider how differently your life could have turned out? I can think of any number of ways that my life could be different:
What if I had gone somewhere else for college?
What if Lori had chosen not to go to Wisconsin with YWAM (where we met), but had chosen one of the 49 other states?
What if some of my near-miss driving accidents hadn’t missed?
What if my parents hadn’t divorced?
What if we could not have children?
These are just a small number of the millions of options to our lives. What if I were born in 1874 instead of 1974? What if I were born in India instead of Iowa? What if I had never heard the gospel? Even briefly considering these questions should help us to realize that our lives are not firmly under our control–there is very little over which we have any say. God places us where he wills, when he wills. He gifts us, he sustains us, and he ordains every moment of our days. How are you thankful for the sovereign goodness of God in your life?
“What if I had become a Cowboys fan?”
Seriously, that’s an excellent word, Steve. Our lives are not our own, that’s for sure!
I am thankful in so many ways. First for God loving me so much that He sent His Son to pay for my sins. Second for God ordaining my marriage! There are hundreds if not thousands of ways I am thankful for the sovereignty of God. But these were the first two to come to mind.
What if I was 6’5 instead of 5’6?
Can’t wait to read your entry at our thanksgiving dinner table tomorrow. Thanks for the wonderfully perplexing, complicated, awe-some and deeply provoking questions.