The distinct smell of musty paper grew strong as I leaned in closer to the bookshelf, searching. A…B…C. My finger traced the creased spines and I tilted my head to read the author names. Carothers. There it was! Half a dozen books by this author stood at varying heights on the shelf. I bought one of them as research for a writing project I’m working on that asks the question, “can praising God impact our daily lives?”
Back home, I seized the first opportunity to make myself an americano and settle into the corner of the couch with my new book: Prison to Praise. With a title like that, I expected to read stories reminiscent of Paul and Silas in chains, singing hymns when an earthquake shook the prison and the cell doors burst open. What I found inside was a bit different. Instead of earthquakes, I read a story about an alarm clock.
Give Thanks in Everything
Merlin Carothers was sitting on the edge of his bed, wishing he didn’t have to get up when he sensed the Lord asking him to give thanks.
“But Lord, I’ve got to be honest with You,” he protested. “I’ve been sitting on the edge of my bed every morning for twenty years wishing I didn’t have to get up. I’ve been thinking how wonderful it would be if I could just lie down for five more minutes.”
I nodded my head, remembering how hard it was for me to get up that morning.
Carothers continued, “Very patiently [God] said: ‘See if you can stand up. Are you thankful? Now see if you can walk to the bathroom. Look into the mirror. Are you thankful you can see? […] Are you glad you can speak and hear?’”
Of course, his answer was yes! Later, he reflected, “Getting up in the morning had been an infirmity for me. God told me to take it and reverse it from pain into joy, and when I did, the power of Christ and His joy came upon me.”
As I read this story, a verse came to mind; “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). I had always thought “everything” meant in the good times and in the really bad times–like when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison and praised God, or when Job lost all his possessions and fell on his face and worshipped. Carothers’ relatable story of giving thanks that he needed to get out of bed made me realize I had been excluding the little frustrations of daily life from “everything.”
Does God really want us to give thanks for small things like needing to get out of bed on dark, winter mornings? I did a quick search in a Bible dictionary to find out what 1 Thessalonians 5:18 really means. Turns out, the Greek word for “everything” means…well, everything.
Everything isn’t just for warm spring sunshine and fresh baked bread. It’s also not just for prison cells and cancer diagnoses. How do we expect to muster a song of praise in the doctor’s office when bad news is broken if we can’t say a word of thanks when our feet hit the cold floor in the morning?
If we want to respond like Paul and Silas when the really bad things happen, we need to start practicing praise when the irritating alarm clock goes off.
Changing Your Response to Inconveniences
If you are willing to start, you might be surprised at how your life can be impacted through a change in your response to little annoyances.
Carothers’ next opportunity to practice this lesson was when the traffic light turned red just before he could get through. Usually he would grumble that he missed the green light and had to put on the brakes. But he sensed the Lord speak to him, “Don’t you know that I control the stoplights? That I control the universe and time itself? The next time a light turns red you must be thankful. You will know it was I who made it turn red.” So that’s what he did. At the next red light, Merlin gave thanks to God, looked up, and prayed for the man crossing the street in front of him.
Alarm clocks and red lights were just the beginning. When his car wouldn’t start for two days in a row, Carothers gave thanks and took it to the mechanic. By a miracle, it was a quick fix and the manager didn’t charge him for the repair. As he suffered from frequent headaches, he gave thanks for this weakness that allowed him to experience the power of Christ in his life. Instead of getting better, his headaches grew worse. Carothers said, “I held on to thoughts of praise and thanks. Suddenly I was being flooded with joy. Joy seemed to pour over every cell of my body. I had never experienced such power in joy.” After some time of persisting in thanking God for the headaches, by another miracle, he was completely healed.
As he gave thanks, Carothers discovered joy instead of frustration, opportunities to bless others in the middle of these annoyances, and even small and big miracles.
See Little Things as Opportunities
Now, when I press snooze, resisting the need to get up, when the laundry basket overflows and I want to ignore it, or when another appliance breaks down and my landlord takes too long to fix it, I think of Merlin Carothers’ story and the verse, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I count my blessings, as they say, and seek to use those small frustrations as opportunities to lift my eyes and praise Jesus.
As I’ve chosen praise and thanksgiving, I’ve discovered joy in finding creative ways to cook good food while my stove wasn’t working. I’ve had reminders to stop and pray and depend on the Lord. I’ve experienced less frustration and more peace.
Carothers observed, “Most of us go around carrying these opportunities [to thank God and learn from Him] as heavy burdens.” Will you join me in starting to use the opportunities God gives us daily to praise and thank Him instead of grumbling and complaining?
*All quotes are from the book Prison to Praise by Merlin R. Carothers.