Infected with Gratitude

Infected with Gratitude 



Hey everyone, I am sure each and every one of you are well aware of the worldwide situation that has seemingly taken over our lives. Call it whatever you like, a pandemic, an annoyance, the start of the apocalypse... I've heard all these and more in light of COVID-19. Every individual seems to have their own take on this particular virus and what it has compelled our world to do. 

I know that there are a ton of articles and opinions out there right now on this particular topic, written by people who are much smarter than I, but this has sparked a lot of thoughts in me. The main thought, or question really, which has manifested inside is, what am I taking for granted?

If you know me at all you know that I am absolutely terrible at being still and living in silence. I come from a relatively large family and we are about the farthest people from quiet. I am used to constant wrestling matches, off-key singing, and the loudest laughter. This caused me to be the most comfortable in, often, the noisiest, most chaotic situations. I love being around people and going on crazy adventures. Even now that I live alone, I always have music blaring, or some TV show on in the background.

All this being said, obviously this whole "shelter in place" thing is not exactly my cup of tea. I miss going out to eat and catching up with friends, I miss big family get-togethers, and I miss going to the gym like crazy. I am, however, extremely grateful for my job at this time. I am what's being referred to as, "essential personal". I work as a correctional officer at a county jail. This lock-down has caused me to be extremely grateful for my ability to keep working where I'm at. 

While I have let my job keep me as busy as possible there have still been many moments of restlessness. I recently read something by someone who I highly look up to that really resonated with me, "...I tend to stay busy to avoid feeling things. So the forced slowness in the last few weeks is probably a big part of it... ". I relate to this on a crazy high level. Like I said, I'm good at busy, I can thrive in the long working hours and none stop myriad of activities that are my life. But as soon I stop, even for a moment. I begin to realize that I actually do have feelings (crazy I know!). In this slowness, I began to realize something; we, as an American society take so much for granted. 

Did you know that in places like North Korea, Eritrea, and Maldives it is literally illegal to consider yourself a Christian? They are persecuted for having church gatherings and can even be put to death just for owning a Bible (Carter, et al., 2019). Did you know that in countries like Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Pakistan they often only have access to clean water within a half-hour round trip (Dunne, et al., 2018)? With how often the world is supposed to be washing their hands right now I can imagine this being quite the issue. These are just a few of the countries and issues which are prevalent in the world today.

And here I am complaining because I can't go to a gym and lift weights for an hour every day... 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to guilt trip anyone, I'm not trying to say that any of the things we do are wrong or bad, but I think we need to realize how much we truly have to be thankful for. Because in all reality, none of what we have, none of the things we get to do, are truly ours in the first place. 

We serve a God who so graciously granted us the ability to live in a place where church services, eating out, running water, etc. are just a given. We have become so accustomed to these things that we have forgotten whose it all is in the first place. 

This time has really given me space to ask myself some tough questions. Like, is the time I'm spending and what I'm doing all going back to the one who granted me it in the first place? Am I thanking him every moment for the privileges that I choose to take for granted? If I'm being completely transparent, I don't even want to start answering those questions or any like it. 

Now, again, this whole rant is not some guilt trip method I'm trying out. But I do strongly believe that things happen for a reason. God has a plan. God is in control. Sometimes his plan throws us for a loop. And within this particular loop he may just be trying to teach his people something. I definitely can't tell you what that something is at this point, all I know is I am going to do my best to listen.

So, wherever you're at with all this, whether you feel like it's all a huge conspiracy or it's something we should all be taking extremely serious, I want to challenge you to think about something: What have you taken for granted and how is your attitude during this time?

In the wise words of one of the greatest men of all time (and no this is not up for debate), Johnny Cash:

These things shall pass and some great morning
We'll look back and smile at heartaches we have known
So don't forget when shadows gather
The Lord our God is still the King upon His throne




Source:
Carter, J., Carter, J., McCracken, B., Zacharias, R., Ramsey, R., Smethurst, M., … Tony Merida. (2019, January 19). The Countries Where It's Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2019. Retrieved from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-countries-where-its-most-dangerous-to-be-a-christian-in-2019/

 Dunne, T., Dunne, T., Dunne, T., WaterAid Australia, WaterAid Australia, WaterAid Australia, & WaterAid Australia. (2018, March 21). WaterAid report reveals nations with lowest access to water. Retrieved from https://www.wateraid.org/au/articles/wateraid-report-reveals-nations-with-lowest-access-to-water

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