His car slammed
into mine on my driver’s side.
I didn’t see it
coming.
After that
initial shock that comes when we’ve been in an accident, my first thought was,
“Did I do something wrong?” After all, some of my family members tease me
whenever I get behind the wheel: “Mr. Magoo’s driving again. Say a prayer.”
But no, I had
the right of way. It wasn’t my fault. And the police report would verify that.
Which made me all
the more aggravated; all this trouble because someone else wasn’t paying
attention.
Negative rhetoric
dominated my thoughts: “Why wasn’t that guy looking? If only I hadn’t turned in
here. Now my car will never be the same. Ugh, all the trouble dealing with
insurance.”
I called my wife,
and her first question was, “Are you hurt?”
That question
caused to me pause and think of something I read years ago.
It was a story
about Matthew Henry, the 17th century Bible scholar. Once he was
robbed, and after the incident, he wrote this in his diary: “Let me be thankful
first, because I was never robbed before: second, because, although they took
my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all,
it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who
robbed.”
Standing there
in the parking lot, waiting for the police to arrive, I decided to find
something for which I could be thankful.
Included in the
picture of my car I sent from my phone to my Mr. Magoo Fan Club, I texted:
“Thankfully, I
wasn’t injured.”
“I was in our
older car instead of our newer one.”
“Thank the Lord
we have two cars.”
“It happened on
the side of the car that already had a noticeable dent from a previous
incident.” (No, that one wasn’t my fault either.)
“Although it was
an accident, at least I wasn’t at fault.”
“The other
driver has insurance.”
Admittedly, this
was an “incident” and not a major disaster. Giving thanks in serious
circumstances is more difficult.
As a pastor,
I’ve prayed with people who have faced financial ruin, divorce, miscarriages, mental
health issues, and cancer. I’ve stood by people as they’ve buried loved ones,
and I’ve watched people die way too young.
And the answer
for why some of these things happen is unexplainable.
Yet, finding
something to be grateful in the midst of trying circumstances is key to
overcoming the bad that inevitably comes our way. Otherwise, the things we
don’t like will take over our thoughts and rule our life.
But how do can
we be grateful when things don’t go our way?
Take a step back
and look at the larger picture.
Paul the Apostle
was convinced that God somehow works good out of even the worst situations for
them that love him and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Knowing that God is still in control seems crucial to rising above our
circumstances. We may not see it now, maybe not even this side of eternity, but
we trust that God will somehow bring something good from the bad and that love
will ultimately win. That conviction can keep us from suffocating in the
current miasma and look for good in the midst of it.
We don’t have to
wait for something tragic to happen to practice gratitude. It begins with being
grateful for the little things: your spouse making up the bed, a friend giving
you a special spice she likes, a beautiful sunrise, hearing a grandchild say,
“I love you,” or having a child say, “You were always there.”
Bad
things happen. We can’t change that. The only thing we can change is our
attitude toward those things.
The
preacher, Dr. Alexander Whyte, was known for his pulpit prayers. He always
seemed to find something to thank God for, even in trying times.
One
miserably wet, cold Sunday morning a member of his congregation thought to
himself, “The preacher will have nothing to thank God for on a wretched morning
like this.”
But
Dr. Whyte began his prayer, “We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like
this.”
Sometimes
that’s all we can do. And sometimes, that’s all that’s necessary to move on and
hope for a better tomorrow, even in the midst of today’s pain.
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