1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 says , See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.Rejoice evermore.Pray without ceasing.In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

It’s no secret that bad things happen in this world. And for some reason bad things seem to happen when we least expect them. Bad things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. Even Christians experience bad times. When these things occur, the way in which you deal with them makes all the difference. The Bible says IN all things give thanks. Notice it doesn’t say FOR all things…the fact of the matter is, we don’t have to like when bad things happen to us. In fact, it’s ok to be sad, hurt, mad, confused etc when life isn’t going right. However, even in feeling all of those emotions we should still always give thanks, and praise God. So much has been going on with me lately that hasn’t been exactly perfect but I noticed that I’m not depressed about any of it. Yesterday, my son’s driver “forgot” to pick him up and take him to school. He goes to school a hour away, so this left me scrambling. I had to call my boss and tell her that I’m going to be late, and ran out of the house so that he can make it on time. Now, I was upset and rightfully so; this was a huge inconvenience for me. I had my Aunt’s funeral to go to later that evening and wanted to leave work early, and that was now no longer an option. I vented for a little and then after I got it out I felt better. I felt better partially because I vented but mostly because I remembered the God that I serve. And I just took a minute to say, Thank you God for allowing me to be able to take him to school. My boss was very understanding and it was fine. I began to think that maybe God was protecting us from something. I got over that situation and today as I’m getting ready to go to lunch, my boss called me into her office and told me to close the door. She sat me down and basically told me that I won’t have a job in a few months. We had a meeting a hour or so later and she wanted to give me a heads up so that I’m not blindsided. I smiled and told her thank you for letting me know. I usually smile when I’m in an uncomfortable or awkward situation but this was a genuine smile. The old me would’ve been stressed, flustered, on the brink of tears thinking how am I going to pay my bills and take care of my son. But this time I was so calm and collected. And don’t get me wrong; I am concerned about my future. But I can smile because my future at my job may be uncertain but my future in life isn’t. With Jesus in the Vessel, I can smile at the storm. I’m praising God because he’s never brought me to a situation that he didn’t already prepare a way out of for me. Time and time again, he continues to show me that he will work out ALL things for my good. That means, the bad things, the worse things, the in between things. And that gives me great joy and peace. So I’m here to tell you, you may be going through the worst times of your life, things may not be looking for good for you. You may feel like throwing in the towel; instead of worrying and stressing, do what the text says, pray without ceasing and in all things give thanks. God will make a way. All he asks is that we trust him. Have a blessed Thursday evening ❤️.

P.S. This devotion is especially dedicated to my cousin Shareen who just lost her dear Mother. I love you and I’m praying for you❤️.