Imitator of Christ: Thankful

Ephesians 5:20 says "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the father" NASB.

Over the last year, God has been teaching me SO MUCH about being thankful. First, by truly examining the meaning of being thankful. Webster's Dictionary says that to be "thankful" is to be "conscious of benefit received" or "well pleased". So to take this definition and put it into what the Bible says about being thankful is to always being conscious of benefit(s) received. To be thankful in the good is fairly easy. But to be thankful when things are not so good, is another story.

"Christians" sometimes focus on hiding struggles rather than sharing those struggles and working along side other believers to fight through those struggles that others share too and hense grow closer to Christ. So let me be honest...

I have not "always" been thankful. My perspective about being thankful changed about a year ago. One would think after being raised in a Christian family and being taught Biblical truth for 25+ years, that a concept perceived as so simple would not be such a daunting task. Quite the contrary. It took my life nearly being taken, for me to understand how to be thankful. Is it easy? No, it's a process. But asking questions like "am I glorifying God by responding this way" or "is this how Christ responded" is a step in the direction or being an Imitator of Christ.