The Thanksgiving season inspires us to reflect on our blessings. Thankfulness releases amazing power in our lives. When I was newly widowed, and living in Illinois, I was going to a Bible conference in Phoenix that I had looked forward to for months.
The evening before the conference I checked into the luxurious resort where the meetings would be held. The hotel people transported me by golf cart to my quarters. On my own, I could never have found that room in a villa a quarter mile from the main building or carried my heavy suitcase up to my second-floor room.
This was nothing like I had expected.
The desk clerk had given me a map with my villa circled, but in the darkness, from the stair landing outside my room, the map made no sense. After looking forward to this experience for so long, I felt lonely, isolated, and disoriented, like the victim of some evil trick. Discovering there was no coffeemaker in my room dealt the final blow.
My old, familiar enemy, self-pity, came to pay a visit, voicing the old lies: Poor me, stuck here, nobody cares. But then while unpacking my suitcase, I came upon my Bible, and suddenly realized the thoughts and feelings I was having didn’t line up with the truth it contained. I began thanking God for the many good things He had done.
As I thought of more things to be thankful for, even more came to mind. I began to appreciate the beauty of my elegant surroundings. How silly those earlier thoughts seemed now. Peace and joy returned. I ordered coffee from room service for the next morning, enjoyed a nice sudsy bath in the lavish bathroom, climbed into the comfortable bed, and enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep.
The next morning, after savoring delicious coffee, I dressed and headed toward the main building. In the daylight, the map made total sense. A brief walk in the Arizona sunshine brought me to the restaurant and a tasty breakfast.
The conference was wonderful. Although the enemy sent self-pity to steal, kill, and destroy, by blinding me to the blessings all around me, thankfulness readied my heart to recognize them. A thankful heart is a merry heart; and a merry heart, according to the Bible, does good like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22). It cured me!
If you would like to learn more about the many blessings God has for you, come visit us at Charis Christian Church, 4811 E. Julep St., Suite 101, in Mesa.