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Everybody has missing pieces, don’t we? For some, it’s a marriage you’ve always wanted but don’t have. Or a child that has not yet been given to you. Or a job you want, or financial security. These missing pieces are different for each of us.
But we can learn to be thankful even for the missing pieces. Paul advised us to give thanks in all circumstances, and we truly need to learn to do that. But if there is some key missing piece in your life right now, you may be thinking, “I don’t feel like giving thanks for this missing piece.”
Well, isn’t it great that Paul didn’t tell us we had to feel like it! In Hebrews 13:15 we read: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. When we don’t feel like being thankful, we can still offer a sacrifice of praise. A sacrifice of praise is, I believe, when we praise and thank God against all our feelings, in spite of our feelings.
How do you do that? You speak words of thankfulness and praise. Words are the fruit of your lips, and this verse in Hebrews tells us to use that fruit as a sacrifice of praise. It’s hard to do that, I know. You feel like a hypocrite when you start saying things you don’t feel, I know. But you are obeying biblical principles by offering a sacrifice of praise.
When I find myself in that predicament, I begin by telling the Lord that I don’t feel like it. But I confirm that I am offering these words of thanksgiving in obedience to Scripture, by faith not by feelings, and then I say those words of thanksgiving, even if they come through clenched teeth! God will honor our willingness to obey him; he will see that sacrifice of praise, and he will be pleased.
Interestingly, once I start to speak the words of thankfulness for the missing pieces in my life, then the feelings usually follow. It helps to think of your will as the engine on your train, and your emotions and feelings as the caboose. If the will is out in front of your emotions, you’ll be okay. But if the emotions start dictating to the will, then you’ll find yourself in constant turmoil.
So, though you may not feel happy about those missing pieces, you still can feel thankful, knowing that the God of all the Universe is in control of your life and cares about you. And he has promised to turn your ashes into beauty.