As a little girl, I was taught to say "Thank you" whenever I was given a gift. In fact, I used to do this thing with paper and a pen. I'd write thank you notes to my grandparents for the Christmas or Birthday present they took the time to buy for me.
As I have deepen my faith, I have learned to have gratitude no matter the circumstances. I thought about this last night while watching "Cast Away". In this movie, Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee who takes care of productivity problems, is summoned away to take care of a problem on Christmas day. The plane he was on crashes into the Pacific Ocean. He is the only survivor and ends up on a deserted island. He manages to survive four years and was able to make a raft to sail away from the island where he is found by a cargo ship. He comes back to discover he was pronounced dead and ends up losing the love of his life, since she married while he was gone.
While I was watching this, I wondered could I show gratitude if something like this happened to me. Could I really praise God for being on an island where I had to drink coconut milk and eat fish? Could I praise Him when I had no family or friends to be with me? Could I have thanked Him while my plane was going down?
I'm not sure if I could, but I have been through tough times and have been able to thank God for them. It isn't always easy, but when I try and look for something to be grateful for during the tough times it makes the tough times not so tough.
No matter what we are facing, there can be something to be grateful for. Chuck could be grateful that he didn't have to drift in the ocean, he was led to dry land. He could be grateful for food to eat and something to drink. He had his thoughts to keep him company, he could be thankful for those memories. While the plane was going down, he was the one holding the raft. He could be grateful that he had the raft.
I will continue to praise God in all circumstances even when it seems impossible.
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