In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, St. Paul tells us it is God's will for Christians to give thanks in everything. As a former melancholic, this always seemed a little idealistic to me, but after a year or so of daily gratitude, it moved from ideal to reality. To be honest, it's not very hard to live the life I've been given. I would be a particularly despicable ingrate to fail to be thankful for all the blessings and benefits that populate my life.
This morning, I started to change the shocks on my truck. I picked up new ones at AutoZone, and parked the truck in the driveway in front of the garage near my compressor and electrical supply. I had to saw through the end of the old shock to get it off, only to discover that the store had given me the wrong ones. Of course, being parked where I was, I can't get the car out of the garage to go exchange them. I would take the bike, but the brake light is stuck on, which is a tad less safe than I would like. I might chance it in my truck, but getting rear-ended on a motorcycle is not quite my cup of tea. Do I give thanks? Of course! It's a minor irritation, not a catastrophe.
Last night, Linda came down with the flu. She's been sleeping on the couch since about 3 am, feeling pretty miserable. Do I give thanks? I'm not thankful that she's sick; but I am thankful to be able to serve her while she's out of commission. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do. I'm not much of a nurse, and my cooking would only make her sicker. I couldn't lead her exercise class, and can't take her piano lesson tomorrow. I could have tomorrow's breakfast with Beth and Sue for her, but I don't think that would particularly do her much good. I was able to fill in for her at the library volunteer dinner, so for now, that'll have to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment