“Thankfulness Destroys the Dark”
By Rob Weddle
Be thankful in the daytime
and be thankful in the night
Be thankful in your darkness
and be thankful in your light
Be thankful when it’s sunny
and be thankful in the rain
Be thankful in depression
and be thankful in the pain
Be thankful when you’re happy
and be thankful when you’re not
Be thankful for the easy times
and for the battles fought
Be thankful when things go your way
and when your day goes south
I pray no curse escape your lips
Let praise be in your mouth
Thankfulness destroys the dark
with heaven’s sharpened sword
No matter how it goes today
be thankful to the Lord
While you cannot control certain aspects of how your day is going, you can control how you react to it. You can stay angry, or you can choose to let it go. You can work hard to find your smile, or you can just keep on frownin’ like an old sourpuss.
S’up to you.
As I write this today, I’m fully drained from not sleeping well the last week and a half. Additionally, the chronic pain in my back, hips and legs is REALLY flaring up. It’s easier to say, “I’m exhausted and in pain, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” Yes, that would be easier, but I’m trying not to be that way.
Did you notice I said “trying?”
Yeah, it’s tough. Since I’m a writer, let me tell you a story.
Recently, my wife, Laura, and I were on a business trip, and I was responsible for presenting a PowerPoint presentation to a large group. The day before the meeting, the VERY old Mac computer I was using crashed. I had been trying to back up the document, which was essential for our meeting, for a couple hours, but wasn’t able to do so before the Mac decided to take a siesta.
So I restarted. That’s the first thing my friend Gary, the I.T. expert, tells me do, but it didn’t work.
“Try a hard shutdown,” Laura suggested, so I tried that. NOTHING. By now I was freaking out. I knew we could recreate the presentation from scratch, but also knew we’d stay up all night doing so.
I literally tried rebooting six times, to no avail. By now, I was losing it; I was experiencing a combination of sheer panic and full-on rage. Then something hit me: step outside and get some fresh air.
So I went out on our hotel balcony. I closed my eyes when I felt the cool breeze on my face, and could hear birds singing, chattering amongst themselves. It just seemed like the perfect time to pray.
“Thank you, Jesus, for Your many, many blessings,” I began, nearly in tears. “Thank You for my daughter and my son. Thank You for Jessy’s husband, Josh, and Trey’s wife, Maria, and how amazing they are! Thank You for my grandkids. Thank You for allowing me to have a little getaway with my wife, even if it is a business trip.”
On and on went the “thank you’s,” and after about 15 minutes I went back into the hotel room.
“I’m gonna fire it up ONE more time,” Laura smiled. Ever the optimist, she told me later she never panicked. She just knew it would work out somehow. Ha, wish I could say the same.
So she turned it on, and to my utter amazement, the computer came up perfectly, with no issues whatsoever. I quickly backed up the presentation on a flashdrive, in case it happened again, then remembered…
“Oh,” I said out loud. “Thanks, Lord. Thank You so much!”
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2)
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.'” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” (Psalm 86:12)
I would LOVE to say I’m always thankful, but I’d be lying. I can say, however, that I’m trying. It’s the best I can do for now, but at least it’s a start.
I’m also thankful you’re reading this. Please note: I make no money off this blog whatsoever, and purposefully avoid reading articles with titles like “How To Make Money On Your Blog!” From the beginning, this has been about me sharing my heart, in order to encourage you.
Yes, YOU. I’m thankful for you. Many blessings to you and yours.
Broken People 