This past weekend I had the humble privilege of leading a retreat for some seventy-five plus women who are committed to expressing gratitude despite the circumstances… persons who regardless of the depth of the irritants or piercing of the pain are intentionally choosing to trust God regardless, recognizing that they will grow — even from the ugly.
Let me be clear; it’s not that we’re thanking God for the actual irritants; but we trust him with what happens; we seek him within the tough times. And that change in focus girds us with peace and gives us joy. That peace and joy sustains all else.
We also addressed the fact that after the empowering, shared experience of the weekend, we would return home and quickly be challenged to forget what we learned — that we would undoubtedly soon be tempted to gripe and grumble more as opposed to being intentional in our expressions of gratitude.
The grumbling opportunities came quickly. All one has to do is take a brief a glance at a cross section of selective stories missed while away…
The elections… less than a month away; candidates are scrambling — doing whatever it takes to win… sometimes all ethics, all respect for one another, and all adherence to the Constitution gets thrown aside…
Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (D-TX) runs an attack ad against her opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott (R-TX), that begins with a stark picture of an empty wheelchair. Note that Abbott is disabled and in a wheelchair. Pundits and politicians across the ideological spectrum find the controversial “wheelchair ad” in the Texas governor race “disgusting,” “offensive,” and “a historic low” in campaign advertising. Meanwhile Davis continues to defend the ad.
Activist actress Gwyneth Paltrow throws a glitzy fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, headlined by Pres. Obama; dinner cost $15,000 per person. When introducing the President, Paltrow gushes about Obama’s “handsome” nature, and adds, “It would be wonderful if we were able to give this man all of the power that he needs” — obviously forgetting for at least a moment that we live in a democracy, not a dictatorship.
The elections are close…
Ebola is closer…
So much in the world tempts to rattle our thinking. All these headlines, stories, and too much sensationalism threatens to disrupt a person’s commitment to express gratitude. But today, I refuse to allow all the crud in the world to keep me from being thankful… to keep me from holding on to what is noble and good and true…
… which, by the way, is none of the above.
Respectfully…
AR