January 1, 2015
Two years ago I made a commitment to focus only on those things for which I was thankful. I've told the story, but I'll tell it briefly again. I was caught up in the presidential campaign rhetoric, which of course, always centers on the faults and failings of the opposite party, and is overwhelmingly negative in tone. It was as I said then, poisoning my soul, but I didn't realize it. On December 28th of 2012, God spoke to me, asking me what had happened to my joy. The problem was that for most of my life, joy had been pretty elusive, so I wasn't able to answer that question. All I knew for sure was that something had to change, and God not only made it clear to me that I needed to change, but also how that change was to be effected.
I stumbled across a website, aholyexperience.com which gave me daily suggestions of three things for which to give thanks. I took up the challenge, and it literally changed my life. Two years into this experiment, the melancholy which for years was a constant dark companion rarely even bothers to visit. Nothing external has changed. The world is still a mess, life has its high moments and its valleys of despair, but I am different inside. There have been occasions over the past two years when I've felt almost guilty when I count my blessings and compare my life to so many who seem plagued by illness, addiction, dysfunctional families, and economic uncertainty. People who read my posts probably wonder as I often do, if my life is exceptionally charmed. I must admit I haven't had to deal with many of the issues some people face regularly, but I also believe that a great deal of the difference between my posts and the negative and often vitriolic posts we so often see is more a matter of perspective than circumstance.
My life is far from perfect. Even more to the point, I am far from perfect. Our family has to navigate the waters of disagreement and personality differences, just as others do. We have to pay our bills, keep our home in repair, the driveway plowed or the lawn mowed, deal with sin, failure, death and disappointment, and handle all the other matters life has a way of throwing at you. We have at least a few of the aches and pains that accompany the years we have seen. The big difference in my life today and two years ago is my focus on gratitude. There have been occasions in the past two years when I've had to be quite determined to be grateful on any particular day, but it has been worth the effort. As we begin 2015, I am grateful that God brought me up short two years ago, that he saw to it that I discovered that website, and that he made good on his word. Repeatedly, we are told to give thanks, and in the Psalms, the basis for gratitude is given: "for his mercy endures forever." I have certainly discovered that my experience of the mercy, the steadfast love of God has been richer as I have learned to give thanks. As I said, life hasn't necessarily changed, but I have, and that has changed everything.
To anyone who reads these words, I offer the same challenge God gave me two years ago. Forsake complaining, avoid criticism, even when it is deserved, and find that for which in any and every situation you can give thanks. You won't be sorry.
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