Thanks Be To God

"Bang!" That was the sound of a large, heavy, vertically sliding partitioning door slamming closed on top of the guitar that belonged to Pastor Sherrie's husband and our church band leader, Tim. The look on his face said it all, and Pastor Sherrie appropriately said, "Thank God no one was hurt." Tim's guitar was smashed and he looked crushed. He kept his composure well, and later in the service, he announced that he was thankful to have had the guitar and that it was the best musical instrument he's ever owned.

Think of a time you've lost, broken, or have had a personal possession destroyed. How did you feel? How did you react? Odds are you were devastated, angry, and very upset. Did you take out your frustration on someone else? Or did you react with a positive attitude like Tim? Think about it. None of us can predict or prepare for anything 100% of the time. But all of us have the choice on how to conduct ourselves as well as the choice of our own attitudes. No matter how bad things get, we must try to remain thankful for what we have and the blessings that we have instead of being upset or expressing self-pity over what we don't have or what we've lost. There are people in life that may be in a more fortunate circumstance than us, but there are certainly more that have less favorable lives and in situations they have no control over. We must pray for those less fortunate and be thankful for what we are blessed to have, whatever that may be. Like Zig Ziglar says, "It's your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude." Well said, Zig. Especially this week and through the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday season, let's try to be more positive about our situations and attitudes, and let's take time to Thank God for what we have and be appreciative for the important people we love and care for. Have a great week everyone! Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading!