THE WALK
PART 27

THE WALK OF THANKSGIVING II

I was thinking this week (while in the midst of complaining about the frustrations of life), that being thankful is an attitude or state of mind. I am determined to continue praising Him in appreciation for all of the wonderful blessings He gives me. Each morning as I drive to work I pray for those on my heart and take a moment to realize how good He is to me. Here is a small list of things that I am sure you can relate to as well.

It is a blessing to wake up each morning! In addition, it is even more wonderful to open our eyes and not feel pain. When we swing our bodies over onto the side of the bed and stand on our feet – this is a wonderful thing! So often, we become so busy thinking about what we are going to do that we forget that it is the miracle of strong health that enables us to do it.

Have you ever thought about how glorious it is to be able to take a deep breath? Breathing seems so natural but to many it is a constant challenge and fear. It would be scary to not be able to get enough oxygen like being under water for a long time. We all know how good it feels to come up for air as it gives us such an awesome sense of relief. It is truly a blessing to be able to breathe deeply and not have to worry about it.

With so many different diseases that effect organs and causes them to not function properly, it would take a book to list them all. Our heart for example is another involuntary function that God has designed to keep a constant rhythm without us having to think about it. Many people are not so fortunate. Since the heart is such a crucial organ, its problems are taken seriously and a constant area of concern. What a blessing it is to have a heart that beats normally! We also thank God for all of the medications and devices He provides to maintain heart health.

Another organ that we seldom even think about but plays such an important part of our health are the kidneys. I grew up around kidney disease and watched as it has tortured several members of my family. As you know, the kidneys filter out the poisons, which contaminate the blood, and this waste is normally discarded through the body. Without this filtration, the blood retains the waste and the entire circulation system becomes overloaded with waste. Thus, the blood must be cleaned or the result is death. For those in good health the kidney function is hardly even thought about (or the bowels for that matter). Nevertheless, for the ones who have a disease of the urinary system and are left without kidneys that do their job, it is a demanding lifestyle of dialysis and careful diet. I have watched my father fight this sickness and he has been one of the most courageous individuals I have ever known. This disease completely changed his life and the life of my mother. His life has been a maze of doctor appointments, infections and weakness not to mention the consistent analyzing of the ingredients of every ounce of food and water he consumes. What we consider a normal routine to be able to go to the bathroom would be looked at by my dad as a miracle from God’s throne. When was the last time we were thankful that we could go to the bathroom without pain or even go at all?

I took a break a while ago and went downstairs to take a short nap in my beautiful den. I nestled into my cozy leather sofa while a cool breeze from a standing fan blew gently over me. Our dog’s name is Samson ( a year old French bulldog) and he wedged his way in between me and the couch and let out a sigh of enjoyment that sounded more like the grunt of a hog. I was thinking about what a blessing it is to have a place called home. I am sure most of you have a comfortable home and enjoy the pleasures of your private “castle” of peace and security. I thank God that I can work and make money because finances are needed to support a family. We go to the refrigerator and find something to eat, then get into our nice vehicle and travel wherever we need to go. We usually do not pay any attention to these “luxuries” but nonetheless they are tremendous blessings. We know there are many people that do not have a home of their own. Moreover, I heard recently there is a large percentage of schoolchildren in this country that go to bed hungry. May we not lose our spiritual humility as we live in the blood covenant blessings of Jesus Christ. It is God that has blessed us that we might be sensitive to the needs of others.

It is not a curse or a negative confession to say that we might not always have these great blessings. If we stand for God in the time of the New World Order, we may very well lose these pleasures and luxuries. This does not mean that God will forsake us or fail to protect us, it just means that surviving will require sacrificing and suffering. May we stay sensitive to His voice as we retain our attitude of love and thanksgiving to Him.