An Attitde of Gratitue

I haven't always been grateful for what God has done for me. There were times in trying to do things my way, that I didn't even understand what that meant.

And I can't say that was just in that was just in my younger life. No, it was even in my older life, that I wasn't so grateful.

Just a few short years ago. In fact, two short years ago. When my marriage of 52 years seemed to produce nothing but anger between my spouse and myself. 

And then suddenly and quite unexpectedly, our marriage ended with his death. And the regret of having given up and not trying to work  our frustrations out came.

God promises us to never leave or forsake us through and in this 2 plus years since that time, He has taught me a lot.

And He has taught me to be grateful for those years. 

Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

For Christmas that year, my daughter gave me a hoodie that has the word Hope written on the sleeve.

That was especially meaningful to me because all of a sudden that is what I needed. What would happen with me now? I did not know. But I recognized then that my hope in God was what would get me through. 

And it has. He has.

Sadly, I have two friends who are going through very similar things with their husbands that I was before my husband passed.

The husband of one friend has just recently found out he has cancer and what she said to me, "I have to get a handle on this anger." 

Anger that for her has built up with the years. And now he has cancer and they weren't sure how long he might have to live.

After my own husband passed, when they would complain to me, I would tell them, "Remember that one day, if he passes first, all of the things you are going through with him will be a just a memory."

I was attempting to make them realize not to take for granted the days they had with their husbands. Because they could end abruptly and then there could be regret for not trying harder. For just giving up. 

Of course, when you are living in it day after day, that is hard and maybe even impossible to see from someone else's viewpoint.

It took my husband's death for me to learn to be grateful for all those years that God was always with me, growing me into what I was to experience just 2 years ago. I don't think I would be anywhere in life without that. 

He has given me the strength to endure it, and yet I had to come to grips with my failures in our marriage and could not keep heaping the blame all on him.

I am thankful for my life with my husband. He was a good man and though maybe a bit hard on the kids at times, he was also a good father. He did love us. 

And I am grateful for God for giving him to us for the time on earth that we had him. 

I did not see it before his death.

But I do now. 

So please do not miss my point.

“I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.”  Psalm 86:12

Develop an attitude of gratitude now.

Not just because it is Thanksgiving. Make it a way of life for every day. For every season.

Because you don't know where God may be leading you. 

And you don't want to end up regretting the things that you could have done to try to make things better. 

Thanks for stopping by. God bless you!