Whether It's Easy or Not

Sometimes giving thanks is easy.  A perfect day of swimming under the span of the Mackinaw Bridge makes it easy to be thankful.  We could list all that inspires thanksgiving on a day like that: clear and warm-enough water for swimming, money for gas in our van to get us there and back again (pause for momentary tribute to Bilbo Baggins), sabbath day for Trevor from the work he's a part of at CHR, two boys who love and respect their daddy, a daddy who's crazy enough to pose for a conquer-under-the-Mackinaw photo.  The list of reasons continues in my mental vault, but I think that gets the point across.

Sometimes, though, giving thanks isn't easy. Since reading about him on the Voice of the Martyrs site, www.persecution.com,  I am haunted by the circumstances of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran.  This is him:

He is, as I write freely in the safety and comfort of our Bag End home, trapped in Lakan Prison somewhere in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Why imprisonment? He didn't want his two boys to be required to learn the Quran at their school and he spoke up about it.  Originally the arrest was on charges of protesting, but that was somehow changed to charges of apostasy and evangelism of Muslims.  Now almost two years later, he has a family that waits daily for the announcement of his execution.  The whole horrific story could be over in a moment if he would just deny Jesus and return to Islam.  But he won't do that. And, we're praying that he has the strength to continue to be faithful.  I would be foolish to say that it's easy for him to have a grateful heart.  But I think he does.  He couldn't possibly keep proclaiming Jesus if he doesn't have a clear sense of all that God has done for him.

Before you click on the next whatever, please stop and pray right now for him and his family.  Facebook can wait a few more minutes.