Perfectly Willing?

I have been reading a good book, by Jan Karon called "At home in Mitford" just easy reading...the kind where you don't have to think. It's about Father Tim and his life as a Preist and his parrish, friends, what little love life he has with his new neighbor, his giant dog & a boy named Dooley who continually CRACKS me up! (I recommend this series of books, they are sweet and really good.)

In one of the paragraphs the main character, Father Tim asks his neighbor, Cynthia, "Would you agree that we must be willing to thank God for every trial of our faith no matter how severe for the greater strength it produces?" The neighbor responds, " I'm perfectly willing to say it but I'm continuely unable to do it."

I whole-heartedly agree with her! I am perfectly willing but half-heartedly do it. No matter my intentions on being thankful, I grumble at my trials. Do I grow stronger? Does it increase my faith? Absolutely!!! Thanking God is easy when times are easy. Thanking God during the hard times is at my best effort pathetic. I half-heartedly give thanks if sometimes even at all. I am working on the thankful thing and remembering even when times are hard, God is giving me the strenght to make it through and allowing hard times to strengthen me and my faith. I MUST thank God for everything, accepting it at the same time. No giving thanks out of one side of my mouth while grumbling with the other side of it. We all do it. I just need to put myself in the right place and frame of mind and respect God, submit to God, and realize HE is GOD...not me. He knows best and has put me in the circumstances I am in for a reason. HE knows what He's doing, not me...that's why He's perfect!
As I sit here today I am trying to be thankful. I have much to be thankful for, but am going through a trial and hearing what I definately do not want to hear. It is going to be hard to accept this trial. But accept it I must and trust God that He knows better than what I want. Would I agree to thank God for everything? I am trying my best.