Day 255 Do I know what it means to be thankful?

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you will know that I haven’t written anything since last Thursday. That is the day that one of my friends told me they had cancer and very little time to live. I haven’t written anything since; because I was in a state of shock and not because I have nothing to be thankful for.

News like this in general is never what I would consider good, but to hear it about a person that you care deeply for and work with and have known for sometime makes the wound that much deeper. Some people might even question the justice or existence of God upon the receiving of this news, but for me it inspired a soul-searching question. Am I really thankful?

I mean, just because I choose to remember a few items everyday and write them on a wall for all to see, does that make me thankful? If life is so fragile and a person of noble character and regular selflessness can have news of this sort confront them out of the blue, what hope is there for me? Why didn’t the news land the opposite way, and if it had how am I prepared to handle it? In some ways I feel a little a bit guilty because I know that I can do better with my life.

My intention with the blog was to be a catalyst for change, a constant reminder to focus on the good in my life and blessings and not dwell on the bad. Perhaps I was a little hasty and foolish with this exercise. For change cannot occur alone by simply marking down good things that happened to you, for change to occur action is required.

This news has made it evident that both good and bad things can and do have an impact on our daily lives. But the question is, will it be positive or negative? How am I creating things in my world that improve it or people's lives? It is simply not enough to write of things to be thankful, I must show it and reflect those things into others and the world around me. The Bible states that as Christians we are to show others the Glory of God through our actions. It also states that faith without works is dead. By extension, this means I need to put my gratefulness into action. For did I not receive the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life? And should I not show continually gratitude for it? I mean how else are we supposed to show the Glory of God?

My friend knows the Lord and so I do not fear for her or her future. I am quite sure that she is grateful for every moment on the planet; I too need to have this perspective. For only when we are faced with our mortality can we really appreciate who we are, what we have and the gift of salvation. May the Lord show us all mercy and may this revelation change me forever. My prayer is that my thanksgiving will be more than marks on a page and evident in every action from here on out. For now, I will do what I can for her and simply apply the Bibles commandment, that we love one another and exalt one another each and every day.