#blessed

A wise man recently told me, "There really is something to be thankful for every day." On a good day, most of us can easily recognize the blessings in our lives.  I love reading the posts on Facebook when people are sharing about the events of a surprisingly wonderful day or a magical vacation depicted by pictures of their children smiling and playing in the sun or their family sharing perfect memories together.  They are often followed by a #blessed, which to all of us non-Twitter users is a one-word description to sum up how a person is feeling or that describes a situation. I also love it when people share that they are enjoying a rare moment where everything is just as it should be.  That type of post from me might look like this: "Sitting on my couch beside my Christmas tree in my pj's...candles lit, drinking a glass of wine and watching a Hallmark movie while everyone else is asleep. #warm and cozy."  These type of posts stem from a brief wrinkle in time when all is right with the world but unfortunately the world doesn't always seem right.  Things happen that change the way we view our life and it is sometimes hard to imagine those warm and cozy times. These days, a typical post from me could look more like this: "Sitting in a hospital room in a chair beside the bed in the same clothes I have had on for days...IV's beeping, drinking some hospital coffee and watching my daughter with cancer who can't sleep. #scared and exhausted." It is during these tough times that it is more challenging to find things to be thankful for, but recognizing the blessings in the midst of the trials is one of life's greatest lessons. 

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

...in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

I would venture to say that for most people, the daily grind of life often overshadows the underlying blessings that surround us. Most of the time, we choose to see what is wrong with our lives; we complain about time, money, politics, religion, kids, marriage, jobs, and other people. We are tired, overworked, under appreciated, underpaid, frustrated and nothing is going our way. Sound familiar? Sometimes our social media response isn't quite so uplifting and inspirational for others to read.  Perhaps we are too busy to slow down and enjoy a vacation with our family or to make perfect memories with our kids. Maybe we are so wrapped up in the rat race we have made for ourselves that we focus solely on getting through the day, the week, the month. Before we know it, we have missed out on the many opportunities to enjoy the blessings God has provided. We often act as if the blessings aren't there but the truth is, we just choose to see the glass half empty and our attitudes and personalities are reflective of that. Many people live their lives like that, always struggling to see the silver lining even when life is actually pretty good. There have been many times in my life when I have fit that mold. Looking back, I realize how foolish I was. I should have recognized even the smallest glimpses of God's love. I should have learned to appreciate even the days filled with chaos and confusion. I should have been practicing the act of being thankful each day when times were fairly normal. Practicing for when days would become unbearable and seeing God's hand working would not be my first reaction, days when following the Bible's example of dealing with life was just not in the cards.   


"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3

Consider our trials joyful...Really James? How is it possible to be joyful or thankful when our world is upside down? Is he joking? To be honest, that was always my reaction in the past when I read the book of James. I had a hard time being thankful before my child had cancer, in the "small trials." I couldn't see God's blessings in normal every day life sometimes so how in the world could I consider this joyful? This was the worst thing I could think of to happen to my family and I am supposed to consider it joy? To understand that this was possible in the middle of my nightmare, I look at the examples of others who have faced and are facing extraordinary circumstances and choosing joy. I think about a man named Nick Vujicic, author of Life Without Limits, who was born with no arms or legs. I had seen him years ago on television and was so moved by his determination to make the most of this life.  Most of us can't imagine having a positive outlook on life if we had to live like that yet he chooses to be thankful and to serve God with joy. Another person's story that has inspired me is Abby Rike, from Season 8 of The Biggest Loser. In Oct. 2006,  Abby lost her husband, her five year old daughter and her two week old son in a car crash.  I remember hearing her story on the show and sobbing, trying to put myself in her shoes and wondering how in the world she could even go on.  I'm sure her first reaction wasn't to see the positive in that horrific situation (as none of ours would be), but since the wreck, she has shared her testimony around the country encouraging people to have hope even during their darkest times. She wrote a book called Working it Out: A Journey of Love, Loss, and Hope which I am getting ready to read now.  On a more personal level, a dear friend of mine is currently walking a road filled with what most would consider daily suffering and pain on every level.  Like me,  she is faced a with losing her child to a terrible disease. She could easily give up, become bitter or curse God. Instead, she chooses to enjoy each day and find something positive to cling to no matter how tough their day has been. Knowing that only God knows the outcome and purpose for this trial, she chooses joy.  She probably does not even realize the example she is setting by choosing the higher road, but I am grateful for her faithfulness. In the same way, my own daughter, who is facing the battle of her life, can clearly see God's hand in her situation and willingly accepts the mission she has been given. She inspires me to evaluate my attitude towards life and look for the blessings in each day, no matter how small they may seem. 

As I look back on the last eight months, I can obviously remember all of the scary, awful things that have happened and all that I have had to watch my daughter go through. Those images will probably stick with me for life. But, if I think a little longer, I also see an endless list of things to be thankful for. I think of people that we have encountered that we would have never met had it not been for this journey with cancer. I think of the lives of people around us that have been changed for the better somehow since her diagnosis. I think of how we have gotten to share God's Word with people who may be eternally changed and about how we have seen amazing things happen in our own family...forgiveness, restored relationships, hearts changed. I could go on and on really. So, believe it or not, even the gigantic black cloud of cancer has a silver lining. It was hard to see at first but I am learning. 


"There really is something to be thankful for every day." Don't take the blessings that surround you for granted. Even in the toughest, darkest of times, know that God is there and that alone is enough to be thankful for. I pray that in the days ahead when I lose sight of that, someone will remind me as I am reminding you.  Although I could post a million things about the not-so-glamorous life of our family having cancer, I think a better post about life now would go more like this: "Sitting in a beautiful hospital room in the amazing facility God provided for us...dedicated nurses, determined doctors using the best treatments available, seeing daily improvements and watching my daughter's walk with God get stronger through her battle. #blessed."