“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭NIV

Excerpts from Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts:

“You murmur the question soundlessly… ‘Where is God, really? How can he be good when babies die, marriages implode, and dreams blow away dust in the wind? Where is grace bestowed when cancer gnaws and loneliness aches and nameless places in us soundlessly die, break off without reason, erode away? Where hides this joy of the Lord, this God who fills the earth with good things, and how do I fully live when life is full of hurt? How do I wake up to joy and grace and beauty and all that is the fullest life when I must stay numb to losses and crushed dreams and all that empties me out?’

“No. No benevolent being, no grace, no meaning to it all…
No God.
No, God… No, God, we won’t take what you give. No, God, your plans are a gutted bleeding mess and I didn’t sign up for this. You really thought I’d go for this? No, God, this is ugly and this is a mess and can’t you get anything right and just haul all this pain out of here and I’ll take it from here, thanks. And God?… Thanks for nothing.”

Such raw and authentic questions. Ann processes her pain and devastation and she then shares her journey towards full life, joy, and grace. She espouses a lifestyle of intentional thanksgiving for all that God already gives freely.”‬‬
.
https://butterflyinthespring.com/2014/06/08/ann-voskamps-one-thousand-gifts/