This time of year, we spend a lot of time
expressing our happiness about the blessings we have been given in life. Our homes, our jobs, our perfectly beautiful
kids and grandkids. When we start listing good things, our cup runneth over.
But what about the times when circumstances
are less than perfect? When life seems
to be giving us more lemons than anyone needs to make a good batch of lemonade?
Can we really be thankful in those difficult times as well?
I spent thirty five years working for the
State of Arkansas. Though not always
paid as well as comparable employees in the private sector, I did have an
attractive retirement plan, so I began marking off my calendar when I was in my
forties, planning for that magical date when I could stay at home and start
drawing a retirement check.
My husband worked very hard as well, in a
job that he was extremely good at , but that was hard on him physically. Suddenly, our whole world was rocked when the
sagging housing industry caused his long time employers to lay him off. Though quite a shock to both our systems;
things eventually worked out quite well.
He now has another job that he loves, and is not as damaging to his
health. I retired for a short time, and then returned to work, in a less
stressful position that allows a little more time to concentrate on my writing.
Looking back, we are both thankful for that particular economic down-turn.
As an avowed aficionado of social media, I
am following a family with a much more dramatic story. This young couple received devastating news
very early in their first pregnancy. Advised by physicians that their unborn
child was severely handicapped, and would most likely not survive to be born
alive, terminating the pregnancy seemed to be the best option. Because of their
belief that God has a better plan, they decided to continue, and prepared to
love this child for as long as they were allowed.
The mother of the baby started posting on
the day their daughter was born, and survived, to the surprise of all of the
medical experts. You can get the medical details on their Facebook page
entitled “ Prayers for the Pragels,” but the bottom line is that eight months
later, this little miracle brings all of us the most amazing smiles anyone can
imagine. With an under developed brain,
each milestone in her life is totally unexpected, and cause for immediate
rejoicing.
It might be hard for the immediate family
to be thankful for this sweetheart’s diagnosis, but I know that the medical
world must be. They are learning so much from her, and she is so inspiring to
others who are going through similar issues.
We are all thankful that her brave parents are sharing their journey.
We frequently worship with a congregation
of Christians that has continued to thrive beyond all expectations. Their
beginnings came about because of a disagreement between their minister and the
congregation he was serving. Feeling that he had no choice, he and a few close
friends decided to worship together in any space that was available. That first
place turned out to be the city hall of a small town in our region. Borrowing song books, chairs, communion
supplies, they pressed on, and actually thrived.
Their next meeting place was in an old
service station/convenience store. This “cozy” space was often filled to
capacity, and the excitement with which they approach their weekly services was
palpable. As we speak, the congregation of around 70 and sometimes many more has
moved to a new building, built for the most part through the love and labor of
the members. No one would have ever expected to be thankful for a painful
division with other believers, but one day, when the origins of this group are
discussed, that may not be such a strange idea.
Once, a little girl in Southeast Kansas was
devastated when her parents divorced. The next few years were a struggle on
many fronts, but eventually her mother met and married a man from Arkansas.
They moved to Saline County just before the girl’s senior year in High School,
and the rest, as they say, is history. If I could speak to that little girl today,
would I tell her that one day she would be thankful for the intense pain she
felt? Of course not. But with the benefit of many years of
hindsight, I would have to admit that even that experience was one that I would
never trade.
Let us be Thankful.
