A high school classmate of mine, also named Lisa, shared a message recently… and I have been thinking about it ever since.
“If each one of us around the world was given the opportunity to write down our problems and put them in a hat to draw out, would you risk grabbing someone else’s, or would you just keep your own instead?”
It humbled me—and it reminded me even more to remember to be grateful. There are so many things I think about every day—things I worry about and things I stress over and things that make me sad….. and all the while there are so many blessings all around me. I try hard to think on the good things—but there are still things I wish for, moments I worry, and times when fear and the “what-ifs” try to weigh my heart down.
When you really think about that hat, it puts our entire lives into perspective. It reminds me even more of just how much we have to be grateful for, because so many of our daily “problems” are sometimes actually privileges in disguise:
- We worry about the pouring rain or a leaky faucet… but we are safe and snug under a good, solid roof.
- We stress about what to fix for dinner… but we have the beautiful luxury of eating three meals today and actually getting the privilege of choosing what we eat.
- We get frustrated by traffic or the price of gas… but we have a car that allows us to work, travel, shop, and explore.
- We complain about a long day at work… but we have a job that provides for us.
Sometimes we forget to thank God for the very things we take for granted every second. Scripture reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Notice it doesn’t say to give thanks for the problems, but in them. The application is so simple yet so profound: when we look at our lives through the lens of that giant hat, we realize that even in our hardest circumstances, God has surrounded us with hidden mercies. Gratitude isn’t a feeling we wait for; it’s a conscious decision we make every single day.
My Daily Blessings… I am so grateful for the simple things I can do: that I can walk, and talk, and see, and smell, and hear, and taste. I’m thankful that I can connect, write, cook, create, be silly sometimes, and just relax… and that I can pray, sing, worship, read, learn, and grow.
The Beauty All Around Us… There is so much beauty to see every single day when I remember to look. I’m grateful for music, and laughter, and dreams… for spring flowers, quiet creeks, clear, sparkling rivers, and rushing waterfalls.
The People Who Matter Most… Most of all, I’m so deeply grateful for the family and friends I have, as well as the ones who are gone now, leaving behind such wonderful, lasting memories.
What a blessed privilege each day truly is. While I have stresses, worries, concerns, aches, and pains every single day—looking at that giant hat of the world’s problems makes me want to hold onto mine tightly. I am choosing to look at the beauty. I am just so incredibly grateful.
What about you? If you put your problems in a hat with everyone else’s, would you risk grabbing a new one, or keep your own? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!
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