Lord, am thankful!

I'd like to share with you an incident that happened today...I was on the way to home, walking on the road when it happened.

Personally, I complain to God lots! "God, this is all I can take, nothing more", I would say...

Whenever someone tells me to be thankful, I would just think "That's so easy to say. You don't know my circumstances." Perhaps God had heard enough of my complaints and thats why he let this incident happen today...

So.... I was walking along the along when a vehicle beside me moved away suddenly and I saw the woman on the other side of the vehicle. I was shocked! She had small pox, her body was full of boils, big terrible boils... I kept thinking about her. I wondered what her life must be like. How would it feel to wake up every morning and see a face full of boils in the mirror? To see people get shocked looking at you, move away from you, and not dare to touch you... Did someone ever hug that woman or give her a gentle pat on her shoulder when she was down? Did she feel loved?

I remembered the kids I see in the railway station everyday.The mom would be selling whatever she had in her basket and the kid would be sleeping and flies would swarm the baby, or worse, the baby would be right on the stairs, about to tumble down. I remembered the kids of the tribal people whose hair had never seen oil.

I thought about myself. The beautiful family God has given me - my beloved members at home who have never given up on me even when I have let them down, all the love they have showered on me, the numerous instances that show they care, all the times they encouraged me, stood by me...

I remembered the numerous opportunities God has sent my way, opportunities these people never got.

I've always lived a secure life. I've never wandered on the streets unattended and uncared for. I've always had a roof over my head and never had to worry about where my next meal would come from.

Earlier, when people told me to be thankful and I protested, they would tell me to compare myself to these little ones and see how blessed I am. I would just say "Okay, I understand that they have many problems that I don't have. But it doesn't mean I have no problems at all, or that my problems aren't as grave as their's are..."

Even now I don't mean to say that my problems are nothing at all compared to their's, but I do realize that I've been blessed with so many things they don't have - things that they need, things that I did nothing to deserve to have. I knew deep inside that I wouldn't last a moment in the shoes of that woman with boils.

I've focused so much on what I din't have that I failed to notice and appreciate all that I do have.

I thanked God that moment, for all that I've been blessed with.

(I have great respect for that woman. Her will to survive amidst all her troubles struck me so powerfully. God bless her!)

Amidst our mad schedules and busy lives, we too could try to take a moment today to thank God for everything, just everything!