Turn your eyes

As I think about what we have done here in the last month at The Salvation Army Havre Service Center, my mind goes to the Annual Meeting/Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.

I am so thankful for the volunteers and businesses that support TSA, the soup kitchen and food bank. Then my mind goes to thankfulness and what does that mean to the Christian.

The Bible says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1. “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 106:1. Then it gets harder, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God,” Philippians 4:6. “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 5:20.

Whoa, does that mean that we have to be happy about even the “bad” stuff?

Well, in my experiences, if I turn my eyes to Jesus, the “bad” stuff is easier to handle and usually when I get through it, I am able to look back on it and find blessings from it. The Bible says, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5. This then sends my mind to ask what is my god? Is it money, the job, my family, my friends? Again the Bible says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually,” 1 Cornicles 16:11. “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me,” Proverbs 8:17. “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”

“When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.

“For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” Deuteronomy 4:29-31. Whatever you are going through, as Helen H Lemmel penned in 1920:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.”

God is for us; he is not against us. But are we the one seeking a relationship with him. Remember, God created us with a free will, which means that we are not His puppets to do as he bids, he wants us to build a relationship with him, worship Him, and give all things in our lives to him. Need help with this? Talk to your pastor, or come see me! “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful,” Colossians 3:15.

Submitted by

Trina Crawford

Director of The Salvation Army-Havre Service Center