Over twenty years ago, when I worked for the government in Washington, D.C., I knew a man who was a faithful Christian, steadfast in his belief in scripture. One Monday morning, I ran into him in the hall and conversationally asked how his weekend had been. He said “Blessed!” and proceeded to tell me of his experience. He and his wife and six-year-old daughter were in their car on their way home, which was still several miles away when he had a flat tire (I knew he lived way out in the country in Maryland). The road was very narrow with no shoulders so he pulled the car off the road as much as he could without going into the ditch. He got his family out of the car to sit on the hillside to assure their safety. Then he went to the trunk and discovered his jack was not there so he could not change the tire. He knew there was little traffic on that road, and it was beginning to get dark. In my recollection of the story, it seems it might even have been raining. He climbed up beside his family and started giving thanks, as well as praying for help. When he finished his prayer, he said he and his family started singing praise songs, and before long, a car came along, stopped, and the driver helped him change his tire, and they were on their way. I was stunned by his testimony. I couldn’t believe that anyone in such a dreadful situation could manage to give thanks and sing praise songs and really mean it in his heart. I knew I would have been filled with frustration and anger. When I said that to him, he quoted this verse from our epistle lesson today: “. . .be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord I your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” as if that said it all.

I have been changed a lot by God’s presence in my life over the past twenty years or so, but I’m not sure that, even now, my first thought in the above situation would be to give thanks. It is, of course, easy to give thanks for all the things I perceive as “good,” blessings, grace. I can even look at things that I have considered “bad” and, in retrospect, see that they too were blessings and give thanks after the fact. But in the immediate moment of perceived disaster, is my first thought, my first word, “Thanks be to God”? Is yours?