I was reminded today, by a woman who has every reason NOT to be thankful, to look for the things to praise and thank the Lord for. They're always there, you know—it’s just a matter of finding them. Often times the bad or negative are so much easier to see and focus on. But I believe that what the Lord would like from each of us is to focus on what we have and what we can do and be and not on what we don’t and can’t.
So, at the end of this very exhausting week, here is a list of 10 things I’m thankful for (in no particular order):
1) The fact that I am bone weary and have a bad headache and Fibromyalgia flare up due to working too much this week makes me thankful I have a job.
2) The fact that I am not in a bad/hard marriage makes me thankful I'm single and have never been married.
3) The fact that I don’t have a sick child makes me thankful I've never had any children.
4) The fact that I can’t do many of the things I used to be able to do before FM makes me thankful for what I CAN do--work to support myself, live on my own, not dependent upon disability, etc.
5) The fact that I can’t sing in the choir or play in the orchestra at church right now makes me thankful for the body of Christ as experienced in my (still uncomfortable) role as a pew/congregation member.
6) The fact that I can’t see my niece on her birthday in 3 weeks makes me thankful that I have a niece at all, and that I'll see her 6 weeks from now.
7) The fact that $$ is always tight and I have more debt than I'd like makes me thankful for God's faithful provision and that He supplies all my needs...even when I make (in hindsight) foolish decisions with His $$.
8) The fact that I have struggled all my life with food and body image issues makes me thankful that I live in a country and had an upbringing where I have never wanted for food...never truly been starving.
9) The fact that I have struggled with anxiety/depression/loneliness makes me thankful that the Lord is patient with me and has given me the Psalms to relate to David's emotions.
10) The fact that I don’t have a washer/dryer of my own and have to schlep back 'n forth to the laundry room makes me thankful that I have the strength and ability to do my own laundry and have clothes to wash when so many can't and don't.
“Blessed be God— he heard me praying. He proved he's on my side; I've thrown my lot in with him. Now I'm jumping for joy, and shouting and singing my thanks to him.”—Psalm 28:6, The Message
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