Post by MIRIAM JACOB on May 19, 2007 1:54:23 GMT -5
GRATITUDE FOR UNGRATEFUL DAYS
by Max Lucado
“Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever
happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NCV
Look at the totality of those terms. Always be joyful. Pray
continually. Give thanks whatever happens. Learn a lesson from Sidney Connell.
When her brand-new bicycle was stolen, she called her dad with the bad
news. He expected his daughter to be upset. But Sidney wasn’t
crying. She was honored. “Dad,” she boasted, “out of all the bikes
they could have taken, they took mine.”
Make gratitude your default emotion, and you’ll find yourself giving
thanks for the problems of life. Need spice in your day? Thank God
for every problem that comes down the pike. Is any situation so dire
that gratitude is eliminated? Some of the ladies at the Women of Faith
Conference thought it was. This great organization fills arenas with
women, and women with hope. The president, Mary Graham, told me about one
particular weekend in which a shortage of space tested everyone’s
patience.
The floor had 150 fewer seats than needed. The arena staff tried to
solve the problem by using narrow chairs. As a result, every woman had a
place to sit, but everyone was crowded. Complaints contaminated like
feedlot fragrance. Mary asked Joni Eareckson Tada, a speaker for the
evening, if she could calm the crowd. Joni was perfectly qualified to do
so. A childhood diving accident has left her wheelchair-bound. The
attendants rolled her onto the platform, and Joni addressed the unhappy
crowd. “I understand some of you don’t like the chair in which you
are sitting. Neither do I. But I have about a thousand handicapped
friends who would gladly trade places with you in an instant.”
The grumbling ceased.
Yours can too.
Impossible, you say? How do you know? How do you know until you give
every day a chance?
_________________________________
From Every Day Deserves a Chance
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007) Max Lucado
www.maxlucado.com
Used with Permission.
by Max Lucado
“Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever
happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NCV
Look at the totality of those terms. Always be joyful. Pray
continually. Give thanks whatever happens. Learn a lesson from Sidney Connell.
When her brand-new bicycle was stolen, she called her dad with the bad
news. He expected his daughter to be upset. But Sidney wasn’t
crying. She was honored. “Dad,” she boasted, “out of all the bikes
they could have taken, they took mine.”
Make gratitude your default emotion, and you’ll find yourself giving
thanks for the problems of life. Need spice in your day? Thank God
for every problem that comes down the pike. Is any situation so dire
that gratitude is eliminated? Some of the ladies at the Women of Faith
Conference thought it was. This great organization fills arenas with
women, and women with hope. The president, Mary Graham, told me about one
particular weekend in which a shortage of space tested everyone’s
patience.
The floor had 150 fewer seats than needed. The arena staff tried to
solve the problem by using narrow chairs. As a result, every woman had a
place to sit, but everyone was crowded. Complaints contaminated like
feedlot fragrance. Mary asked Joni Eareckson Tada, a speaker for the
evening, if she could calm the crowd. Joni was perfectly qualified to do
so. A childhood diving accident has left her wheelchair-bound. The
attendants rolled her onto the platform, and Joni addressed the unhappy
crowd. “I understand some of you don’t like the chair in which you
are sitting. Neither do I. But I have about a thousand handicapped
friends who would gladly trade places with you in an instant.”
The grumbling ceased.
Yours can too.
Impossible, you say? How do you know? How do you know until you give
every day a chance?
_________________________________
From Every Day Deserves a Chance
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007) Max Lucado
www.maxlucado.com
Used with Permission.