Gratitude

How easy it is to be thankful when everything is going my way. When the sun is shining, birds are chirping, and my hair does what I tell it to. The moments of truth come when things don't quite work the way we want them to. Austin and I have had a very small piece of that this week when our air conditioning decided to just stop working. I have been shocked at how much I took air conditioning for granted before this week. Our house has gotten up to 95 degrees inside and blow drying my hair every morning is like my own personalized steam room. At our greatest moment of frustration we stopped and looked at each other and I realized if this is our greatest hardship at the moment then truly we have an incredibly easy life. 

So much of life's challenges are about our perspective. For example... when I wake up for work the last thought on my mind is thankfulness when the 4:45am alarm bell starts chirping. But as I get ready for the day I realize that the job I'm going to may be somebody else's biggest prayer request right now. There is somebody somewhere who is begging God for a steady job that they enjoy that can provide for their basic needs. God has entrusted something to me that other people are in great need of. 

My sweet and wonderful husband is like a walking laundry tornado. Sometimes I think he is trying to land each piece of his clothing in a separate corner of his house. I have this picture in my head of me chasing him around our entire lives just catching clothes as he launches them away. There will be a laundry basket in the closet and the closest they get to that basket is directly beside them, but never in them. One day I was picking up behind him feeling frustrated when I had this moment where the Lord showed me all of the times I had prayed for and longed for marriage. I remembered that these moments of laundry, cleaning, and serving my husband were the exact moments I had prayed for. That there are other girls out there who would joyfully serve their husbands if God would grant them that deep desire. 

I am reminded each and ever day that I have been given so much more than I deserve. That the grace of God has provided me forgiveness of my sins. If that is all I ever get in life that would be more then I could earn. Yet God has so graciously given me all of these other things out of the abundance. And yes, air conditioning is one of those things that is a gift. So as I sit and wait for the air conditioning man I will enjoy the way the breeze is floating through my house as every window is open and I can smell the blooming roses right outside the window. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18