Grateful for the Ordinary
The past few weeks have been pretty warm. Actually some of those days were down right blazing HOT. How did you manage the heat? Did you lose some houseplants? Was sleep a challenge? Did you take 5 showers a day?
I was in Southern California for part of the heat wave as well as at home in Santa Cruz. No one seemed to enjoy this weather phenomenon…except for those at the beach. And even the beaches were uncomfortably too hot sometimes—I burned my feet one afternoon just walking back to my towel.
Whenever it gets that hot I scan the weather reports to see when it will cool down. I take for granted how nice our cooling seabreeze is and how comfortable we normally are, day in and day out. Sometimes when we’ve had cold rain for days on end I feel the same way, wishing it would stop, and return to normal.
It is in times like these that I am prompted to give thanks. I am grateful for the “normal”, ongoing blessings of God. Do you need to be reminded of God’s goodness towards us?
How about when you experience sickness or some sort of ongoing physical pain? The first reaction is to want it to stop (of course), but often I’m reminded to be grateful for when I’m healthy and free of pain. Or in the midst of relational conflict? We long for peace and are so grateful when we finally return to it.
I hope we all are enjoying God’s blessings of provision, protection and direction in our lives as our Good Shepherd. But let’s remember to trust him through giving thanks even when we are uncomfortable in a variety of circumstances. If we can lean on Him while sweating through a heatwave, perhaps we will remember to trust Him in trials of various kinds and become mature in Christ. (see James 1:2-4)
“Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
