A Breeze of Good Deeds #40: On Being Grateful

My mind was already set to write a food entry. But yesterday wasn’t a good day for me. Some things didn’t happen the way I hoped for. The heavy downpour all over Metro Manila caused horrendous traffic everywhere. I came home late, and our internet wasn’t working. It was the perfect formula for a BAD DAY.

Pardon me for setting aside my food post. I know that my restaurant experiences are supposed to make you drool or convince you to try it out too. But I would be unfair to you, my dear readers, if I write about food with a heavy heart. And before you all speculate, what I’m feeling right now is not pregnancy-related. It actually annoys me when people always assume that a sad Facebook shoutout or a happy tweet is always related to my desires of having a baby. Just so you know, there are other things that make me happy and sad. But then again, I’ll reserve this in a separate post.

If you feel that I’m going in circles all throughout this post, I apologize. Maybe I am really going in circles, that’s why. But if you happen to read this post until the last word, thank you for doing so. It only means that you value me as a person or as a friend more than being your resident food and travel blogger. Writing has always been one of my avenues in letting out all my disappointments and frustrations so please bear with me. I promise I’ll be back in regular programming really soon. =)

So here it goes. Everything was going on according to my plans. I had goals all set up. I exerted all my efforts to achieve them. But I still fell short of the expectations. What would a normal human being like me usually feel when these things happen? I got sad. Worse than this, I got angry. And then it hit me. I wasn’t supposed to feel negative about it. I asked myself if God would be happy with how I treated the situation. Because years ago, I made Him a promise.

grateful
And then I stumbled upon this verse.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

The Bible didn’t say “Give thanks when you win 100 million in the lottery,” or “ Give thanks when you get promoted.” It also didn’t say to “Give thanks only with the things that satisfy your wants.” The keyword there is ALL. I have to give thanks in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, whether good or bad because everything happens according to God’s will for me.

I thank God for the terrible traffic last night because I got to spend more time with my husband. When we get home earlier, he is usually glued to the television while I go directly to my laptop and do my thing.

I thank God that both Boyet and I have steady income. We are able to put food on our table. We can pay for a house. We can still extend help to other people. We don’t need to go around seeking financial help from government agencies or charitable institutions when someone in the family gets sick. Yes, there are days when we have to struggle more than other days. But I think this is God’s way of teaching both of us to value money. I would not want money to just grow on trees. It’s a very tempting idea. But what lesson can we learn if that is the case? Suffice to say, we are in a better position.

I thank God for draining our savings accounts in our attempt to build a family. It made me cling on to my faith to God more than the material things.

I thank God for the bad days. A bad day makes me look forward to a good day. And a good day prepares my heart for a bad day.

I thank God that we don’t get to travel more than we used to before. Our money goes to a house where our future children will be perfectly safe and dry on rainy days. Not everybody is given the same chance.

I thank God that I am where I am right now. Because every step He asks me to take is another step towards His divine plan for me.

I thank God that I now have a heavy heart. First, because it only means that my heart is still beating. Wooohooo! I’m still alive! Second, it gives me so much comfort to think that I can surrender all these heaviness to Him, and Him alone.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28

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