Last week was Thanksgiving but I found myself struggling to be thankful. We had gone to CA to spend time with Kathy’s family when I started to have vision problems that turned out to be a tear in my retina. We decided to end our vacation early and rush back to DFW to see a specialist who used a laser to repair the tear. This left me with even worse vision while we wait for the eye to heal and that left me very un-thankful.
As I wrestled with GOD as to why He would allow this series of events I became aware that while I may not feel thankful at the moment, I can still find a way to grateful. Grateful is a state of mind and thankful comes and goes based on what happens.
I was not thankful for the way last week went down, and the extra airline fee we paid to fly home early, and the fee we paid the doctor to fix my eye, and the loss of productivity I will face this week as I recover.
I am however grateful for the way GOD always takes care of me. He provided a non-stop flight home on a very busy thanksgiving travel week, an eye doctor who was willing to schedule me in the same day and has the skills to save me from going blind, and a wife who did not focus on missing thanksgiving with her family but instead focused on caring for me.
So my question to you is what if nothing “good” happened to you for the rest of your life. Could you still be grateful based on all you have been given thus far?
For me, the answer is yes. I know that someday I will leave this life and start an eternal one in Heaven with Jesus and that is what I base my perspective on. GOD has given me more than I deserve and more than most people on earth will experience.
Whatever your journey, how you view it is top to you. There are many times we let our circumstances determine how we view life, and that is why we need others in our lives who will speaker truth in love to us as we wrestle with our emotions.
Do you have people like that in your life?
Robert Hunt