Give thanks
Despite our circumstances, giving thanks is such a necessary thing to give back to God and to realize how blessed we all are in spite of the situations we may find ourselves in. This past summer before i went to be Nicaragua, I sat down with my parents and talked to them about how I didn’t want to give less than my best for the kids and people of Nicaragua. I told them that I didn’t want to be preoccupied with what may be going on at home or what I feel is a burden while on the trip. I SPECIFICALLY remember throwing out the example that even if I suffered from a headache the whole time I was on the trip, I wouldn’t let it keep me from giving my all. Low and behold, God took that as a request for me to suffer from a headache the whole week we were there. I literally had a nonstop headache for 8 days. God was definitely testing me. Was I going to fall back on my word and give up when the going got tough or was I going to sink my teeth into the task at hand, regardless of my pain? I knew God was testing me so I did the latter. Through pain and frustration I knew that my little problems were so much less of a problem than what God had told me to do that week in Nicaragua. I realized that week that even with my pounding head, I needed to give thanks for what I did have and what I was able to do through my suffering. You can’t just thank God for the days of sunshine and the moments of happiness; thanks must be given on rainy days and during times of struggling and hardship. This is when God feels your sincere devotion to him. So here I am on thanksgiving, and guess who has a headache? THIS GIRL! Is that going to keep me from giving thanks for everything God has given me? Absolutely not. I have a literal headache and I have a million little headaches and heartaches I’m going through right now but none of those are worth pouting and throwing a fit in God’s face. I am thankful even through the pain I have going on inside me. I’m even thankful for the pain because I know that through it, God is going to bless me and give me something to reach in the end. Be thankful today, for all the good things in life, and for the not so good things. God is good and he deserves our praise today and everyday.
