"The Thankful Heart" -2

"Count your blessings; name them one by one..." I don't remember all the words, but I do remember the melody; we just don't sing this song much anymore. However, there is so much truth to what it says, because we always focus so much on the bad stuff in our lives, forgetting or not paying that much attention to the good. Yes, but the bad stuff we must pray for God to fix; right? Maybe that's true, but what if that is not His plan? Will you continue to focus upon it, as if doing so will make it happen? As I have said before, I pray for God to heal my wife several times every day, but I am not focused upon her being healed; instead I am focused upon her being alive, and whatever forms of affection will stimulate her mind. Knowing that God is in control of our lives helps to make even the worst situations something that good can be taken out of; if we truly believe that He is in control. Have you ever thanked God for a flat tire? That might seem silly, but something as inconvenient as getting a flat tire can be something to thank Him for; that is, if you believe that He is in control; if not, then you curse the tire, the car, the road, the day, etc, etc. I have no patience with electronic devices, especially computers and everything attached to them. If you could hear my rants every time I get in a battle with my computer or my printer, you would wonder if I was even a Christian; however, this type of emotional fit is maybe brought on by something else; something that has roots in unthankfulness. Maybe, if we take a really deep look at why there is no thankfulness, we will find out there is also no forgiveness too. Stop and think about it for a moment; asking yourself what the most important thing about your relationship with Jesus Christ is; would it be that you have been forgiven of your sins? Is that not what Jesus came for? Yet, we tend to forget about the forgiveness of our sins if we are walking with unconfessed sin in our lives; and especially if we have unforgiveness within our own hearts. To be truly thankful for something that has been given, something as important as the forgiveness of our sins, should also make us thankful for so much more; more than anything that this world can throw at us, that is for sure. Besides, if God is in control, then everything that might seem to come against us is really for our good, even if we cannot see what that good might be. For example: sometimes we are seconds away from being taken from this world and from the ones that we love, and a flat tire may be all that was needed to avoid that which was to take us out...