“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner
I can remember shaking my head in disbelief after I heard the story of a young lad who could not get food past his throat. I thought to myself in that moment, how being able to eat and have the food settle inside you is something worth giving thanks for.
I also recall a sister share this with me. About how while she was receiving treatment for a cancer diagnosis at the hospital, she was already spent from the entire process and was crying and felt like God had abandoned her.
But then, she looked around her, and saw little babies and young children fighting for their lives in the hospital ward. These little children were undergoing rigorous cancer treatments and haven’t even had the opportunity to live
Immediately, she turned her gaze from her own situation and began to give gratitude to God in the midst of her pain.
I got a call a few days ago that a friend had passed on to be with her heavenly father. She was a sickle cell warrior. And if there is anything I will always remember about her in the time I got to know her, it would be her warrior spirit, strength and depth of gratitude in the midst of her pain and daily battles.
Giving Thanks in the Good and Bad
She appreciated the fact that God had preserved her life for so long. And she was always quick to tell you that. Here was a woman who had lived through horrible health challenges, yet she still chose to embrace each day with gratitude and a pretty smile sitting on her face.
As you walk through life, it is so easy to take many things and the gift of living for granted.
But remember this,
While you breathe in and out easily, another is struggling somewhere to take in this same abundant air. They have tubes on and need oxygen to aid their breathing.
While you are able to move about freely on both legs, there are some battling intense pain in different parts of their body. They would do anything just to be free from their pain and stand on their feet again.
While you have children and sometimes feel entitled, remember that there are many women out there who will give just anything to feel what it looks like to have a missed period and a positive pregnancy test.
While you are sane and have your reasoning intact, there are many battling different levels of depression and mental illness. Some are in chains right now somewhere in a mental institution, while others are left roaming the streets with no place to call home and no family in sight.
Are you truly grateful to God for your life and that of your loved ones?
Can you learn to look for beauty and light in the mundane and little things of life?
There are also those things we easily overlook and take for granted as we walk through life every single day.
What are some of those things that you can be grateful to God for?
Here are some things that you can be truly grateful for.
– The air you breathe.
– The laughter in your home.
– The smile on your children’s faces.
-The shelter over your head.
– The comfortable bed you have to lay your head..
– The rise and fall of your child’s chest while asleep.
– The loving comfort of your spouse’s arms.
– The joy of staring into the eyes of the one you love.
– The wise counsel from a friend’s lips.
– The word of hope that bursts forth from the preacher’s lips.
– The joy of watching your parents age with grace.
– The selflessness of a sibling.
– The joy in teaching little ones.
-The peace and calm in your marriage and home.
– The gift of each new day.
Will you find some things in your life that you can be truly grateful for today?
Take it a step further and write those things down. It will amaze you how much you have and can be truly grateful for.
Start with these words right now.
Today I am grateful for …………………………
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” EPICTETUS
