Thankful

Today my blog is a cliché. At this time of the year, people always throw around the “thankful” word, so I’m going to as well. And today I have a totally different take on this whole premise.

Since I started this posting earlier in the week, my mom was rushed to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat, atrial flutter, and has been in for two days now. The good news is she’s stable and experiencing no symptoms, just being a little cranky about wanting to go home. Her life will change only to add some more exercise and religiously take some prescriptions, but other than that she’s good to go.

And there’s a lot of other bad stuff out there, job loss, about 600 people at my company lost their jobs in the last week, companies going away, people losing homes and savings, a vicious cycle. satan is dancing at all the negativity that is rampant today.

I turned to Webster’s online dictionary for a definition of the word. It’s an adjective and it means: Conscious of benefit received; or expressive of thanks; or well pleased. For my words today, I choose conscious of benefit received. As I stated, my company is undergoing massive layoffs and I know that I am not immune and satan is using that, preying on my mind, infusing my day with worry and hopelessness. Never mind that I have been through it before and survived, even bettered my situation, no, he wants me to focus on it, dwell on it, let it fester until it infects my whole being.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

I serve a God that loves me and wants only the best for me and I choose to be conscious of the benefits received from him. Oh yes, we thank him for the food, thank him for the day but those are generic requests, check them off the prayer list before we move to the I wants, or I needs.

I’m talking about being fully conscious of the benefits we have around us EVERY DAY. Elemental things, my eyes open, so I’m alive. I’m breathing in and out so my lungs and heart are functioning, I can get up so my arms and legs work. That’s a little elemental, you say? Maybe, but I know people who don’t have those luxuries. Whose very existence depends on machines to breathe for them, who’ve lost a limb, who have pacemakers to keep their heart going or now like my mom, dependent on drugs to minimize problems. Not so elemental now, is it?

My eyes open and I see a ceiling means I’m not sleeping in a park or on a street, that I’m comfortable and, today, warm. I brush my teeth so I have running water and an indoor bathroom. I open the closet to decide what I want to wear, what I WANT to wear, means I have more than one set of clothes and more than one pair of shoes.

Hungry? Step into the kitchen and open the refrigerator, which is cold. That means I have electricity. Inside is a variety of food, not just rice, corn, oatmeal or gruel. Thirsty? There’s milk, water, sodas, lemonade, hot chocolate, coffee, even tea. These are extravagances that third world countries can only dream about as they struggle for safe water. Thankful? Conscious of the benefit? Not completely, but I’m getting there.

I got in my car and drove to work today. I didn’t have to wait for a bus or a train, didn’t have to walk or ride a bicycle. At my leisure I got to drive where I wanted, when I wanted and how I wanted. Didn’t have to hitch a horse or oxen up to a wagon, or put a saddle on anything, I drove. Thankful.

My mom is in a great hospital with knowledgeable doctors and caring nurses. At least for now she has top notch medical care available to her. Not sure what the government will do with that in the future, but thankful? You bet.

And at the top of my list after my family is friends. What fun would life be if I didn’t have friends? We don’t always see eye to eye, and sometimes agree to disagree, but I can pick up the phone and call any of them day or night and they will be there to help in whatever way is needed. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12. (NIV) “I thank my God every time I remember you.” Phillippians 1:3 (NIV). I do not thank God for my family and friends often enough. He gave them to me and they are each precious gifts that I don’t unwrap and revel in nearly enough. For that I’m sorry.

Conscious benefit. Keenly aware of what is given to me daily, hourly, minute by minute. I used to walk around the park in my neighborhood and would list things out and thank God for them. Three times around the park was a little over a mile and I never ran out of things for which to thank him. I never ran out of things for which to be thankful.

My loving and faithful Father, walks beside me in the tough times and the happy times, has given me so much. Conscious benefit.

Yes, I’m thankful for the earthly things God has let me use. But over and above all that, I’m thankful for my brother, Jesus Christ. I always knew of the sacrifice he made, that he bled and died on the cross, but until The Passion of the Christ movie came out, I was not aware of the level of brutality he suffered to save me. Yes, this was a Hollywood depiction of the event, and how accurate it was I cannot vouch for, but it opened my eyes. His blood was shed before he was put on the cross. Conscious benefit of what he did. He prayed so hard he sweated blood. Thankful seems so inadequate, but it’s all I’ve got.

Today I’m thankful that my niece is a paramedic and knew the questions to ask my mom’s doctors. I’m glad she brought my great nephew to see his great grandmother yesterday. I’m thankful that my mom was around yesterday. It certainly could have gone many other ways.

A conscious benefit of thankful. Peace, joy, love, whatever is good, I choose to think on these things today.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday, Mom!

Stevie

copyright 2009 by Stevie Stevens, Fort Worth Tx. All rights reserved.