I read something a while back that really impacted me – What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday? That statement made me stop and think about gratitude – being thankful for the blessings in my life. Shook me up a bit.
Ironic that it’s the week after Thanksgiving, right? I think not…
Lately there have been many things that have been cluttering my mind & heart, and for right now I’m going to focus on gratitude. I have so much in my life to be thankful for: my family, my church, my health, and more.
Well, to get started, I need to take a moment and clarify some of the clutter that’s been on my mind. Some of it is really good and important clutter. Some is just clutter. I figure it’s there, bouncing around, hanging on until I address it. Acknowledge it. Be grateful for it. Maybe even write a blog about it… and maybe then I will be able to “file” it as complete.
Possibly file it under Blessings Acknowledged.
Over the past few months I’ve been helping to coordinate a fundraiser for a little boy named Samuel from my church. Planning this event has been a large portion of the clutter that has been in my head – some of the ‘Good and Important’ clutter mentioned a moment ago.
Working with a group of friends from church and the family of the little boy, I had the pleasure of watching a community of strangers come together with one purpose in mind – to help alleviate the expenses incurred during the treatment of Samuel’s illness.
I made some new friends along the way. I like it that friendships can be made while people work towards a common goal. I especially like it when the friendships remain after the goal is accomplished. But I digress…
The event was held on November 20, the weekend before Thanksgiving, and I was quite happy to be there and to see the results of all the time and effort our group put into it.
My personal feeling is that people participate in causes such as Help Samuel because there is an innate need within each of us that just wants to do something good for someone else, even if they don’t know them.
I mean, really, isn’t that why we are here? To learn to love each other…
The fundraiser was a success – it went so much more smoothly than any of us could have hoped for. Even today, it still amazes me how a small group of determined people could do so much (it shouldn’t amaze me because God was always right there in the middle of it all) and that group could make such an impact on a family many didn’t even know when we began.
At the end of the evening all the volunteers, including my hubby and me, worked to clean up the area we had held the event all that day. We helped the people that won auction items collect their winnings and pay for them. And then we drove home, content and quite exhausted.
When I opened my eyes Monday morning, the Help Samuel event had become a memory for me. The thought occurred to me that when Samuel’s family opened their eyes that Monday morning, fundraising success aside, their ultimate focus would not have changed – their concern for his health would remain the same.
Monday, I was tired, thankful for a day off. Two year old Samuel woke up with the same illness he’s had since he was 9 months old. The fundraiser accomplished what we had hoped it would – it raised money to help offset the treatment costs. It was not to find a cure – we will leave that to the doctors.
While I could go about with my day; Samuel and his family still had a battle to fight.
However, I believe that Samuel’s family felt the love and blessings the community poured out on their son’s behalf. They can be confident that the love of Christ moved through a community of strangers and friends because of their son.
I like to think that maybe they also awoke with the hope born of that community of strangers that came together for a little boy – Samuel – and that community was able to achieve something special.
Those strangers blessed the family of a little boy they didn’t know. And they may not have acknowledged it, but I’ll bet they were blessed in the process.
I was so busy during the planning and executing of the event that I never really had time to sit back and think about what was happening. How my heart was being changed. How much I took for granted. But my eyes were opened that Monday morning.
We all have “stuff” that makes life uncomfortable. Who doesn’t? “Stuff” that makes life challenging. Makes life “interesting” as I sometimes put it.
That kind of stuff can clutter my head. Often it makes my heart hurt. But it’s also the stuff that makes us who we are. What I need to do is recognize that God can and does use that “stuff” in my life. (Again, I need to recognize that God is always right there in the middle of it all!) He uses it to refine us. Make us who HE knows we are meant to be. And He does it all for HIS glory – certainly not mine.
Closer to me than the stuff in my life, I am surrounded by blessings. My marriage is solid, and I love my church. I am happy to say that my family, my children, and my grandchildren are all quite healthy. And I need to express my gratitude. Daily I need to thank God that my family is healthy.
I have a few good friends that I know I can rely on. Have I expressed my gratitude for them adequately? Most importantly, have I thanked God for them? Have I acknowledged those blessings before filing them?
The “stuff” in my life has a purpose. I must learn to be grateful for the trials, the growth, the tears and the joy in every day. And in the process of learning how to do that, I could be blessed again. And I need to recognize it, and be grateful for the blessings.
And then file them accordingly.
If you are interested in finding out more about Samuel and the illness he is battling, you can go to www.helpsamuel.org. If your heart so leads you, when you are on the website you can make a donation to help the family as their battle continues.
Great stuff as always Beth…you are a great writer.