So last week much of it was filled with the funeral of the unchurched man who died in a motorcycle accident. We had the funeral Friday afternoon after a week of preparation and attentive ministry to the family.
Saturday morning Dale and Mary Combs found that one of their week long guests and such close friend died in their home in the night. So by 9:00 a.m. I'm with this family and the police in a setting, once again, so bizarre, stunning, and surreal.
And then this morning...this morning Legrand and Carrie Strickland visited our assembly. Legrand, you might remember, is our man who was hit by a bomb in Pakistan after the first of the year. All others in his company were killed. He alone survived.
He spoke from his wheelchair...as he now has no legs. He shared how his heart is full of gratitude. Legrand noted how other soldiers in the hospital complained and fretted as they had lost fingers or even one leg; but he would not be down for he had lived.
If we will but awaken to the pain around the world and right next to our paths, maybe we might be a bit more like Legrand? Might we find reason to be grateful for what we have instead of disgusted at what we don't?
Envy, jealousy, greed, and self-centeredness serve to wreck our thinking processes. Gratitude and thankfulness launch us into a theme of exuberance and over-joy! We know what to do...so let's get on with the being happy!
3 comments:
Marcel Proust, the noted French novelist said: "The real act of discovery consist not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes."
Your call to see with gratitude is not in the paradigm of living when tragedy hits. It is not normal to "see" good in the mist of bad.
I like your call to see through the lens of gratitude and thankfulness, rather than a doom and gloom outlook on life!
Good post, Terry. It shames me to think of the things that discourage me in comparison to what Legrand (and so many like him) have gone through and are presently experiencing.
I know that I've already made a comment, but this post has really stayed with me ever since I read it.
I was watching a Glenn Beck show and thought his comments about his eye was appropriate for this post.
Here is the link. http://video.foxnews.com/v/4286138/beck-i-have-a-problem-with-my-eyes
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