joy in an attitude of gratitude

I am grateful to be back safely from lots of driving up and down the corridor to Toronto. I am glad that I found a way to deal with Toronto that avoids the worst part of the 400 and the 401, by using Highway 27. When my sister and I went with the friend we were encouraging to take some of her stuff to the back door of the secondhand store, all three of us were impressed with the attitude of the young man who helped us. My friend had talked with him before and commented on his wonderful positive attitude. He immediately spoke of how he had learned that from his mother, a woman of great faith. And he also spoke of the fact that even though he hadn't adopted her Christian faith himself he honoured it because of what he had seen her do with her life, and how she had coped with everything in her life with an attitude of gratitude.

This is nothing new to any of us. But to be reminded of it in such a way was priceless. All three of us find the challenges in our lives almost knock us to the ground at times, and yet we too know this secret. We can admit that we don't practice it enough outwardly or openly, so that others know how much we feel that way. And we agreed that we need to practise it more inwardly than we already do. So, out of the mouth of this young man we heard as much as in a sermon.

This morning I woke up reviewing the many challenges in my life and the many hurdles ahead of me, and reminded myself that I like challenges, that in some sense I thrive on them, even if they can exhaust and overwhelm me at times. So I resolved that my tasks these days are to organize myself better so that I can continue to meet the challenges I want to meet, and I have to meet. And I believe that through God's grace and in Christ I will be able to do what I need to do, and that He will lead me through the challenges I have no choice about, and to the challenges that are best for me to set my sights on for the long term future, and continuing in those I have already chosen that are right for me but will take a lot of ongoing work and courage. I trust Him, and I am so grateful for the opportunities to grow in that trust, and in an attitude of gratitude.