2008 was unemployment, living on the minimum, enjoying lots of quality time, and Ian looking for a job.
2009 was Ian's challenge to not put gas in his car. This meant a lot of bike riding and carpooling to work. He was up and out around 5am and home around 6pm a lot.
2010 was going to be a self-imposed frugal budget that allowed for NO extra spending. Then we got the news that Ian might be laid off or given a job change with a major pay cut. Thankfully he was given the job change/pay cut option. So here we are again, in October, and totally redoing our budget and our activities.
This has proven to be a good and healthy process for us. But definitely a painful one.
I recently read this quote from Mary Beth Chapman about her walk through the loss of their daughter due to a tragic accident.
"Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of gratitude."
God has been working on my heart a lot lately to have this attitude. But it's still work. I wonder if I will reach the day when I don't have to struggle to feel gratitude in the suffering? Will it ever come naturally? I know God is powerful and mighty, but I'm thinking this might just be a result of our human nature. Our sin nature. I'm thinking He might leave me this way so that when the suffering hits I chose Him and I have to chose gratitude. I'm hoping to make it a habit, but not expecting it to be my natural reaction.What do you think? Have you been able to develop this attitude of gratefulness? What helped you get there?
2 comments:
oops, had to delete my comment due to typos! I learned to be grateful over the years of 2008/2009 when we were losing and then ultimately lost our home of 11 years to foreclosure. We were literally relying on anonymous donations left on our doorstep, under our windshield wipers, or mailed to us to buy food and pay our bills due to the decrease in Dan's income because of the housing market failure. It was the worst and the absolute best thing that ever happened to us. I am grateful every day, no matter the situation now. I hope God does not have to allow such drastic means in order to get my attention in the future. I can assure you that God is faithful, no matter what you're going through. (If I have typos this time, I'm leaving them!)
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