A Thankful Heart

Because I have spent almost all of the past week inside recovering from surgery, many good things in my life became way more noticeable (because I didn’t get to see and do them). It is so easy to take for granted the people I see regularly and the fun or even mundane things I do. I noticed that the ability to get into a car and go wherever whenever is also an overlooked blessing.

Don’t get me wrong, I am immensely grateful that I wasn’t lying in a hospital bed all week in varying levels of pain. I seriously appreciate that; so I guess it’s a matter of the glass being half full or half empty. I definitely see it half full, but there are parts of the half empty that I want to allow to teach me about my attitudes and inner thoughts.

Many times I have read James 4 that, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow… Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." Yet I, like so many others, go my own way making plans, expecting life to go as I plan, and getting irritated when it doesn’t work out.

Here are some random abilities to be appreciated
1.Get out of bed with the alarm, shower, and go to work
2.Bend over and put on one’s own clothes
3.Get to the bathroom in a somewhat speedy fashion
4.Take a shower and towel dry carelessly
5.Sit down and stand up without careful consideration
6.Carry a loaded clothes basket to the laundry room
7.Load and unload the washer and dishwasher

I’m sure there are many more, but you get the idea. If you can do those things, BE THANKFUL! Do not take them for granted.

Some things I noticed that require almost no strength or dexterity:
1.Use the remote control
2.Graze mindlessly through all the channels
3.Eat what very kind, thoughtful people bring
4.Snuggle under a soft blanket
5.Doze off when feeling sleepy
6.Chat on the telephone
7.Listen to loud noises on the roof (my husband and his crew are re-roofing our house this week)

Nevertheless, I have learned this week to be grateful for vision, for nimbleness, for healthy digestion, for sleep, for the ability to talk, for having those around that I love to talk with, and for hearing as well as for having a roof that will not leak when the rains come.

I said all that to say, "Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” and “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I want a thankful ♥