Hans Christian Andersen’s fable, The Princess and the Pea, tells of a pretty girl who claimed to be a princess. To test her claim, the Queen put a single dry pea on the bed frame and then placed twenty mattresses on top of the pea. The young girl was sent to sleep in that room. When asked how she slept she said her rest was interrupted by a lump in the bed, her body all bruised from turning on it! Andersen was poking at the sense of entitlement that royals exhibited and his ‘child’s story’ became insightful social commentary.
Some of us have turned into that kind of spoiled child unwilling to deal with the smallest irritants, insisting on accommodation, complaining until what we perceive to be ‘real need’ is met. Many go through life only seeing the speck on the window, the scratch in the finish, or the flaw in the glass. How is it that we can enjoy a hundred good things and still complain about that one thing that is awry? The better our lives become, in terms of creature comforts, the more we demand from others as our tolerance for imperfection declines.
The Scripture includes this simple and direct command - "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV) Some misinterpret that and attempt to give thanks for all situations. They end up looking silly. I don’t thank God for cancer, migraines, or economic problems. I don’t thank Him for confusion, temptation, or moral failures! But, it is my desire to offer thanksgiving to Him for His unfailing love for us through it all, to be grateful for His peace, forgiveness, and renewal. In the middle of the messes, I pray that my heart is always full of thankfulness, born of a deep faith.
Let’s have some common sense about this. If a problem can be solved, if pain can be dealt with, we need not be martyrs who inflict suffering on ourselves needlessly. If a pebble in my shoe causes me discomfort, I will sit down, take off my shoe, and remove the it! But, some circumstances are beyond our ability to remedy, or allowed within the purpose of God. We can find grace in God to live with real joy; if we choose to do so. Jacob wrestled with God and the struggle left him with a limp for life, every step a reminder that God was his master! Paul prayed at length for release from his undefined ‘thorn in the flesh,’ but the Lord refused his request. Later he realized that this weakness kept him dependent on the Spirit. His gratitude for the goodness of the Lord shines through his testimony: "I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NLT)
With the Psalmist I will say, "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do." (Psalm 73:25-28, NLT)
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