Be Grateful for the Little Things

Life is sometimes turbulent and we struggle to see reasons we should be should be grateful. This post is not to make you feel bad or guilty because at some point in our lives, we all struggle to be grateful. I remember a few months ago, I was at church. On that particular day, I did not feel as much joy in my heart as I normally would, and it did not help when the pastor stood to preach and the title of his message was 'Be Grateful'. I rolled my eyes as he started to state that even in negative circumstances, we must be grateful. What?

You're probably wondering why I was rebellious to the message; the truth is not far-fetched. I looked at the pastor from head to toe, he was dressed in a nice suit, well polished shoes, had a Mercedes-Benz C Class parked outside the church and a wife that glowed every time I saw her.. Wasn't it easy for him to preach the grateful message considering he didn't have to worry about basic needs? Food, clothes, shelter, employment were all ticked boxes for him. What about the rest of us who were battling with unemployment or an illness? Did we have reasons to be grateful?

I left without my thoughts changed in anyway and it took a week for me to realize I ought to be grateful. I was trying to overtake a bus when the bus driver decided to pick up speed. The traffic lights ahead were amber and I was facing another vehicle. My life flashed before my eyes but somehow, that traffic light stayed amber long enough for me to avoid colliding into other cars. I parked the car and took deep breaths! Why was I afraid of dying? Because I had hope there was so much more God intends to achieve in my life. And then it hit me! Hope is something to be grateful for! As Christians, we sometimes struggle with the fact that God's promises have not yet come to pass, yet we remain hopeful because we believe they will. So many people do not have such hope.

The fact that when things get tough, we have the assurance that God, though we can't see him, is there to listen and answer. We have hope that the next day will be better, and the fact that we are not at the same position we started, even though we are not where we would like to be. We have hope, we have the Lord of Heaven's Armies as a father and we are alive every morning to receive his love and experience his faithfulness. Let's be grateful. 

Our thanks, in spite of adverse conditions will unlock heaven's gates and our lives will be flooded with blessings! 

Be Grateful!