I consider myself to be a positive person. I generally take the view that the glass is not only half full, but a waiter will be around soon and top it off before I get to the one-quarter mark.
It was almost two years ago that I got the news that I had breast cancer. The call came from my doctor the day before Thanksgiving. My response to him was, "God says to give thanks in all things, so thank you." I was sure that God would bring good out of the situation, even though I couldn't see the end yet. I'm happy to report that He didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, that positive attitude seems to slip in the smaller matters of life.
On a recent trip to Ephesus, our group visited the house where John took Mary and she lived out the rest of her life. It was a peaceful place that touched everyone in the group. There was a fountain area in the gardens where you could get 'holy water'. Beside it was a wall where prayers were written on bits of cloth or paper and tied to the wall. I felt moved to write prayers for family and friends so I opened my travel bag to look for my pen.
My bag had an section with a pen loop and I had placed one in it when I packed. When I opened my bag and didn't see the pen where I expected to find it, I told my friend that I must have lost it. She looked down, stuck her hand in another area of the bag and said, "Here it is". Thankful, I took the pen and started writing my prayers. As I did, others in the group asked to use it to write their own prayers.
I sat in the peace and quiet of the garden while person after person poured their hearts onto pieces of tissue, scraps of paper and torn travel guides. As I sat waiting for my pen to be returned, God laid it on my heart that He had used my pen to bless others and that I had almost missed the opportunity to participate in the blessing because my pen was not where I expected it to be.
I knew I put the pen in my bag. Why then, if I am a positive person, didn't I have faith in what I knew rather than what I could see? How many times have we missed God's blessing because He didn't show up like we expected Him to, because He wasn't where we thought He should be, or because we choose to see with our eyes and stop depending on what we know in our hearts?
God is crazy about us! He rejoices over us! He cares about our physical and spiritual well being. Why then, when things get tough, do we fail to see Him in the midst of our struggles? Why do we not view our challenges as His intimate confidence in our ability to learn and grow through the experience with Him?
In this season of Thanksgiving, dig deep and look at the things that aren't going like you hoped; the things that are not what you expected or where you expected them to be and truly lift them up and thank God for them. It is through these things that He shows us the best of Himself. It is through these that He perfects our faith. It is through these that He will walk with us and take us to the blessings He has in store. There is sunshine on the other side of your dark clouds.
Have I told you how much I appreciate you? I do!
