Day 9...In Everything...Give Thanks

Boy, the last week sure has had its share of twists and turns.  As we enjoyed a laid back Thanksgiving weekend, we hadn't a clue of what the next few days would bring.  Sunday afternoon found me in the Urgent Care with Ryan, who was diagnosed with a large spot of pneumonia in his right lung.  The P.A. was even a little shocked with the results of the x-ray.  Ryan didn't have many of the typical symptoms of pneumonia, and we kept thinking that it was just a cold that would eventually go away. 

So, we began the routine of antibiotics, fluids, breathing treatments, and all that goes along with pneumonia.  And he began to recover well.

Then comes Wednesday, a fairly typical day until Kaitlynn had an accident which you can catch up on here.  I still get sick inside when I think about the first sight that I saw after she injured her mouth.  I cringe when I remember how she reacted when she first saw it in the mirror.  I get frustrated when I recall how no one at the hospital or dentist was equipped to help us. I wish a thousand times over that I had made her quit when I saw her doing the goofing off that resulted in this injury.

But just as quickly as all of these thoughts flood my mind, they are overwhelmed by the wall of thankfulness that I have been building for the last few weeks. And God begins to show me how He can work all of this for our good.  After all, He protected our little girl from what could have been a horrible tragedy.  He has a plan.  I am content to rest in that plan.  And if this accident can forever teach our daughter that the consequences of disobedience and a bad decision can be horrible, then it's worth it. 

It's easy to be thankful when things are good.  It's even easier when things are great.  But when the days and weeks seem set us back more than they take us forward, it's easy for our "thank you's" to turn to questioning and doubt.

I'm finding that a grateful heart exists, not only because of good days and good gifts, but simply because gratitude is becoming a part of my character.  Because I am conforming to the Image of a Person who embodies gratitude.  If my focus can be to accept my circumstances with a heart of gratitude, then every day is a good day, and every moment is a good and perfect gift. 


"Gratitude ... goes beyond the "mine" and "thine" and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy. "

--Henri J. M. Nouwen

Action Step:  List three of your most recent frustrations.  Think of three ways in which God used each of those trials to benefit you.  Then listen to this song:

Blessings - Laura Story
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if each promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win, we know
That pain reminds this hearts,
That this is not, this is not our home.....
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

What if my greatest disappointments,
Or the aching of this life,
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy.
What if trials of this life,
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise?