REFLECTIONS

Giving Thanks

Through the cracked doorway, lights from the hall cast a shadowy glow into my room. Deafening quiet surrounded me except for occasional muffled sounds from the nurses’ station. I was alone in anticipation of what tomorrow might bring. “It’s just you and me, Lord,” my mind uttered almost aloud. I knew God heard me. I felt his presence. And I was neither alone nor afraid.

The surgeon’s knife would reveal the extent of my disease, but during those moments alone in my hospital room I knew God had given me the strength to endure whatever was before me. Where fear would normally thrive, I rested in his blanket of total peace.

How blessed my life has been. Born in America, eyes to see, ears to hear, home for shelter, parents who loved, friends who care, children who do both, and grandchildren who love back—these are true blessings from God. But sometimes I must remind myself that in times of loss or hardship, these are blessings too.

Sometimes it helps to step back from the things that make life good to see how the hard times have been shaped into blessings as well. How much stronger we are from them; how much they prepare us for the next hardship or to help someone else through one of theirs. We are blessed by how much we grow during those difficult times. In those moments of helplessness, what a blessing it is to feel God’s presence—to know He is there even when no one else is. That’s how I remember that night in my hospital room.

Years have now passed since God’s grace healed my disease through a surgeon’s knife. I am well. Still, each day is one of thanksgiving. I celebrate the blessings of a loving wife, a comfortable home, and a close family. But I also give thanks for that night in a hospital bed with no one there but me and my Lord. It was a time that God called me by name and reshaped my life with lessons to long remember—suffering strengthens the resolve, sternness heightens the gentle, and helplessness reveals the presence of God.

We are blessed by some of life’s greatest joys; and we are also blessed by some of its toughest lessons. For them all let’s “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1)

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org

Click here for Printer Friendly Version