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Serving in ministry requires me to travel rather frequently. Having become a father since five months ago, I find myself thinking of my son a lot when I'm on the road. My mind gets fixated on his frequent smiles and his uncontrollable excitement when he sees me or hears me singing to him.
I heard this song playing while I was in another town last week (an old favourite of mine), and yes, I think it was written with my son in mind:
There are moments in our journey when everything life offers just doesn't seem enough. Somehow, someone else always seems to be having it better, and we're stuck with the feeling that we've been given the raw end of the deal. We begin asking why.
As the repeated "why"s find no answer, discontentment and dissatisfaction begin to fester within the soul. It's like lead. Poison. It doesn't stop growing and continues to intoxicate every part of the soul and anger begins to grow towards the environment, towards all people around us, towards our perceived situations; we somehow attribute all our lack to these factors and blame them for being the cause.
At this point, our expressions may be frozen and we may seem collectedly silent on the face of it; but the noise within the soul thunders a thousand roaring exclamations. Because we are angry. With everyone. About everything. Because we have been victimised, taken for granted and unappreciated.
Meanwhile, in the background, a soft whisper continues to beckon us to ground our spirits once again, to return to life afresh. The voice calls us to retreat into the man within, to count one's blessings, and to take stock of life.
We are unfortunate, we say; and nobody seems to understand just how difficult life has been for us. But there is an antidote to misfortune. That antidote is gratitude. When the soul lies still before God and counts its blessings before Him, it returns to the realisation that all that one needs has been given.
To be thankful is difficult. Because we are forgetful. The good things in life become such familiar features to us that we forget how many others spend their lives without these good things. And because we ignore the blessings of these good things, we feel we have nothing. And all gratitude is eroded.
For all that we have, let us thank the Lord. And let us remember to remain thankful. Maybe then we would keep on realising anew, that of all the suffering people in the world, we have it good after all.
