Several years ago, my wife and I returned home from work to find that our house had been burglarized. We didn’t lose much, but were pretty angry about the incident. My pastor at the time told me a story about John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church. One day while Wesley was traveling, he was robbed by a highwayman. When he arrived home, he wrote in his journal that he prayed to thank God after the ordeal had ended. Specifically, he thanked God for three things. First, he thanked the Lord that the robber had not taken his life. Second, he was thankful that, though the highwayman had taken what was his, he had not taken everything Wesley owned. Finally, Wesley was grateful that it was not he that was out robbing travelers. This perspective struck me as wise and has altered my view of hard times in the years since. It’s easy to look at difficulty and forget the blessing. Like John Wesley, the burglars didn’t kill any of us, didn’t take everything we had, and I was not the one out robbing homes. Even though it seemed like the worst possible circumstance, there were all sorts of things to be thankful for. God blesses us in all sorts of ways that are easy to take for granted. It’s easy to forget that every day we have is a gift. The time we have with our family and friends is a gift from God. If we have food to eat and a roof over our heads, we are blessed. In addition, God lays out circumstances and saves us from all sorts of disastrous potential paths. It is easy to forget those blessings when we are financially strapped, experiencing hardship, or are unhappy with the way the world around us is going. It’s valuable to recognize that God provides for us in ways we sometimes don’t pay attention to. This is especially important the week of Thanksgiving, which was first adopted as a holiday in the United States by Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War. In his speech on the matter, Lincoln exhorted his fellow citizens to take the day to look to God with hearts full of thanksgiving. This was during the height of the Civil War. Tens of thousands of men had died and the country was torn apart. Still, in the darkest moments Lincoln pointed to the blessings God had given them. This is true today as well. We are surrounded by blessings we seldom take note of. The key is to recognize them and to thank God for them. Gratefulness can lead to real joy and can deepen us as people.
