Thankfulness.

I think it's a topic most of us think we prioritize in our lives... Until we take time to notice the suffering that's always taking place around us. What little things are we taking for granted every day?

For me, this semester has been one of emotional frustration--with school earlier in the semester and being so far away from my family and friends. On the good days, I attempt to remember how blessed I am and try to take the time to thank God for the people and "daily bread" with which God so generously blesses me. But I will be the first to admit that there are days of major slacking.

 

I noticed this picture floating around on my Facebook newsfeed early last week.Turns out the man mentioned on the flyer above, Rick, had approached a young man in a WalMart parking lot in Knoxville, Tennessee. The young man immediately became skittish when Rick walked up to him without saying anything to hand him this piece of paper. The young man was obviously uncomfortable, and it must have showed on his face because the young man in his post made mention that Rick handed him the flyer and quickly walked off seeming even more uncomfortable than the young man.

Can you imagine? You are deaf. People look at you in confusion or judgment because you don't speak when spoken to. You've had to ask someone to help you make a flyer in the desperate hopes that you will find a job, ANY job to which you are able to keep. Can you imagine the probable embarrassment that Rick experienced going through this entire process?  Stories like Rick's make me stop in my tracks and think a little more in depth about what it means to be thankful for the gifts that I don't take the time to consider in my daily routine.

I've had five friends lose either a parent or sibling in the past year. Some of you have probably been there. Whether you have lost a parent or sibling, or whether you haven't, stop for a second and think about your own parents, siblings, or people in your lives whom you cherish. When's the last time you took the time to tell them how grateful you are to have them in your life? When's the last time you told them you loved them? When's the last time you thanked God for the amazing family and friends in your lives? On days that I feel like griping, I am reminded that I have the hope of hugging my parents and my younger sister again in this life, and I am reminded that these friends of mine spend every day of their lives wishing that they could hug the loved ones they've lost just one more time. Changes my perspective entirely.

Thank you, God, for our loved ones who nourish and love us more than we'll probably ever know.

I just read about a man who documented his wife's journey through having cancer, from the day they found out to the day she passed away. He did this not only so that it would be documented, but in order to put a face to cancer and the torment that it causes people physically.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/guys-wife-cancer-unforgettable-3-photos-destroyed-me/

Losing a spouse, a partner, a serious girlfriend or boyfriend, the love of your life. In the times that we get frustrated with our significant others, I pray that we would remember this man and others like him who have lost those whom they love more deeply than some of us can fathom. I pray that we would remember them in order to remind us to be grateful for the relationships that bless us in our daily lives. Even in the frustration, what blessings these people are in our lives. 

Thank you, God, for those whom we love more than words can express.

Today I heard a woman I admire admit to a room full of people whom she barely knows that she is essentially estranged from her parents because they do not agree with her sexual orientation. I know relationships with parents are never perfect, but I would be willing to argue that most of us are blessed in the fact that we are loved and supported by those who raised us--through the good times, bad times, and the times when we are brave enough to be honest with ourselves and others about who we are. It breaks my heart to think that someone so wonderful is not fully valued by people who clearly mean a lot to her. Think about all of the people who encourage you to be yourself. All parts of you. Good, bad, deaf, blind, ugly, different, gay, straight, extravert, introvert, passionate, indifferent, nice, rude. Those people who love you, for who you are. And never ask you or expect you to be anyone other than your whole, full self.  

Thank you, God, for those who love us for who we are and encourage us never to be someone that we are not.

Thankfulness. I'm no biblical scholar, but I can think of many instances throughout the Bible where the authors chose to include stories of thankfulness. A lot of times, it takes something bad happening to trigger that state of authentic thankfulness. But what if we lived in thankfulness? What if it was our essence, every fiber of our being? Spending every free moment thanking God for specific blessings in our lives and using the energy from that thankfulness to be blessings in other people's lives? To help people feel loved, to feel whole, to feel important. 

Living an attitude of thankfulness in our everyday lives is nothing short of a challenge. However, I honestly believe if we live in that state of mind, we will be more appreciative of the lives that we have been given and can use that sense of appreciation to give back. To let others know how much they matter to us. To let others know that we are thankful for them. And maybe most importantly, to be mindful to the suffering of those around us who do not have the things and people that we tend to take for granted in our own lives. 

Thank you, God, for the gift of life. Please help us to live it to the fullest by forming rightly-related relationships with you and with one another by living a lifestyle of thankfulness and love.