Really, in ALL Circumstances?

Anybody can praise God when things are going good. I did it several times over the past couple of weeks. There is evidence on my Facebook page. There is evidence on Gavin Christiansen's Support and Update Page. There is evidence in text messages to Kelsea, and phone calls to Mom and Dad and conversations with coworkers in the hallways at school.


Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm (Live) from casting-crowns on GodTube.

However, what about when things aren't going as planned? Well, first off it depends on whose "plan" you are referencing. Yours? Mine? A strangers? God's plan?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says the following:
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. That is a pretty strong Bible verse that really does not require any translation. It is not up for interpretation. It is what it is. God says to praise Him no matter what happens. This is where things get tough. Right now, many, and I mean MANY people not only on the West coast, but around the United States and I'm pretty certain around the globe, have heavy hearts and are grieving the loss of a little boy, whose life was way too short. Even though we are grieving, it is easy for us on the outside to say, "This day sucks, but we still need to praise God for showing us what love is and for sending this child of His to spread love hope to people around the globe."

However, we are all selfish and praising God for what He has given us in a moment like this, is not easy. In fact, it might be the hardest thing I have ever done. And as I sit here, I can't even begin to imagine what his parents are experiencing. On one hand, I am happy because I know Gavin is crawling up in Heaven, with nothing attached to him, happy that there is no beeping of the heart monitor or pulse oximeter, no annoying alarms because one of his IV's has ended and the nurse needs to come in and reset it, no suctioning the vent that was helping him breathe, no sticks in the foot for daily lab draws, and no doctors thinking they know what's best for  him! However, on the other hand, and in reality, I am heart broken because I don't want his parents to experience this pain. I have wanted them to experience everything Kelsea and I have for the past few months. I have hoped and prayed that everything we have posted on Facebook they would soon get to experience as well.

At first sight, the reality sucks. How can God calling this beautiful little boy to Heaven be a much better plan that ours? Well, it might be a long time before we realize it, but His plan IS better. Being selfish, we wanted Gavin here on Earth longer than he was. However he is now sitting next to God, spending eternity in a much better place.

We can only imagine what it will be like, but Gavin is getting to experience it now! Looking at pictures that his mom had posted over the past 9 months, sometimes I smiled, sometimes I cried but no matter what, I feel that I have been blessed that our lives crossed paths with this little fighter and his family.

God places people in each other's paths for reasons we don't understand. It might be clear someday, but today it is still a mystery. One thing I do know for certain is that God brought us together for a reason and I know one day, Ryan and I are going to drink that beer(s) that we talked about. Although right now, the ending is not what we expected or hoped for, it is not the ending either.

Just because things have changed, it doesn't mean we are going to do things differently. There is an army of people around the globe who now have a stronger relationship with God and who have improved their communication skills with Him, drawing them closer and who have reevaluated their lives and their outlook on life.Just because things have changed, it doesn't mean we are going to forget everything that has happened in the past year. This family needs us and our prayers now more than ever. The decisions they have to make, the feelings they are going to experience over the next few days, weeks, months, and even years are things most of us have never experienced, but nonetheless, they need us to continue to intercede on their behalf and continue to pray that God's will, will be done.

God's plan, not ours.