Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
My kids just had a week off from school for spring break and being a mama who wants to soak up every minute possible of these fleeting years of them at home, I happily took the week off with them.
The first part of the week was fabulous. We went down to visit the grandparents. My hubby and I visited a college with my daughter. My daddy took my son fishing. On Sunday, my mama joined us for a long hike along the river, followed by ice cream downtown.
We spent a couple of days out by their pool  basking in the warm, beautiful spring weather.
My hard to please sixteen-year-old, even commented about how relaxing her spring break was and how much she was enjoying it. I was feeling incredibly thankful and blessed. In my mind, there’s nothing more precious than time spent with family in the beautiful outdoors.
Then, Tuesday night, I started feeling bad. By Wednesday, I had a full-blown cough and a pounding headache. To top it off, the weather turned cold. After driving home, I didn’t want to do much more than sit in a chair and nap.
Even so, I still felt thankful for the first part of the week. My family really needed that break.
But, as I got ready for bed Saturday night still feeling crummy, a little voice reminded me to be thankful for the second half too.
While on the surface there didn’t seem much to be thankful for when I felt so bad, I was reminded that I normally feel great, wasn’t I thankful for my normal state of health? What about the little wonders of ibuprofen and cough medicine? Wasn’t I thankful for some relief of my symptoms? What about the fact, that the best thing to do when you are sick, is to drink and rest? Did I have any idea how fortunate I was to be able to simply walk to the sink and fill a glass with clean water? Over half of the world can’t. I also had definitely had the luxury of resting.
And what about my hubby who happily made dinner when I was not feeling up to it?
By the time I actually climbed into bed, I felt an incredible amount of peace and believe it or not, joy. Although, I still felt physically unwell, I was reminded that all was well with my soul.
And that’s a truth that I often lose sight of in this ever turbulent world. Our circumstances, things like health, and finances, and relationships, can change in the blink of an eye. But, when we build our foundation on Jesus and our hearts belong to Him, then no matter what, all is well with our souls.
And that is always worth giving thanks for. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂