I am feeling especially thankful today. Mainly because the Lord opened the skies, while the dry earth soaked in the fine drops of rain. Giving us a total of two inches and twenty-hundreds, of long awaited rain. The wildflowers are standing tall, drops of rain rest on the short grass leaves, and the sky is covered in bubble gum clouds. There are four thankful souls on this farm for sure.

This is one thing I’m thankful for today. What are you thankful for today? Why don’t you make a list in your head or on paper and name seven things you’re thankful for.

1. RAIN.
2. Birds singing in the trees.
3. My brother.
4. A healthy Mom
5. The ability to work with my dad.
6. Mulberries
7. My fiance (Yes, I’m engaged.)
8. My animals
9. My friends
10. Wildflowers
11. Farmer’s Market

Okay I know we agreed on seven, but that seemed to easy so I added four more. That doesn’t cover everything, but we’ll keep it at that for now. So here’s my list and I’d love to hear your’s in the comments below. The ones I listed are simple things, yet things to be very thankful for. Everywhere we look there’s something to be thankful for, even the hard things in life are worth being thankful for.

You may think, “Nah. How can I be thankful for something I’d never want to go back too?”  Well, it’s hard at first, but as time passes we began to see the good in the hurt. Life’s scars are hard and they last! A scar from a bike accident or from a fall, heals and goes away. But life’s scars seem like they might never go away.

A broken heart is no joke. Whether it’s from a rejection or a departed family member a broken hearts hurts. And it leaves scars. I have a few scars myself, but I see the good in them now; others I still don’t see the good in, but I know they were for a reason. Do  you have any scars right now? Is your heart slashed and torn? Or did it get slashed a long time ago?

You’re probably guessing what I ‘m going to write, “They’re all for a reason.” And while that’s true, that’s not what I was going to write. The scars life burdens us with are heavy and real, but what would happen if the never happened in the first place? “Oh that’s easy. I’d be way happier now without that lasting memory.” Is this what you just told yourself? Because that’s the first thing that popped into my head when I wrote that first question down. But no, we would not be happier. And yes, I dare say that; even though I know it’s a harsh world with a lot and different kinds of hurt out there. But if those incidents wouldn’t have happened, you wouldn’t be where you are today.

Read through the list you wrote down earlier–or think through it, and think about why you’re thankful for them and how those things came to be. And while you do that, I’ll write down a few of my journeys.

You all know about my mom, who I wrote about two weeks ago, (you can click on that post in the calendar below). And I’ve always been thankful for mulberries, but, like it most often happens, I didn’t always know my fiance. And that teenage journey was quite something, but you don’t want to read about that, do you? Perhaps I’ll tell you another time. For now we’ll continue to scan through the list.

My animals. Before I had Izzy, my current horse, another horse I really liked died. But if that wouldn’t have happened I wouldn’t have Izzy. My friends. Oh the good Lord knows a person needs friends, especially a teenage girl. But friends came and friends went. More than once a friend moved or we grew apart and each time it hurt. No one wants to grow apart, so why do they? And if it hurts so bad, then why let it? I don’t know. People grow and they find different pathways. You can’t stop each other–you can chase after each other, but that will only leave you with more hurt, and you’ll embarrass yourself. But if I hadn’t lost a few friends here there, I wouldn’t have the friends I do now. Wildflowers.  I don’t remember many wildflowers in my childhood. Most of my life so far, I’ve lived in a drought. But for the last four years wildflowers have began to grow again. And I’m very thankful.

Now, have you thought about your list? Perhaps your list is a lot bigger and more important than mine, in that case, take your time. But let’s talk about thankfulness a little more before I end this article. If you’ve read through your list already than you’ll understand a bit more of what I’m talking about. However, if you didn’t and you read through mine, that’s fine. Either way you’ll see that without scars or unhappy situations, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Without that heart slashing event, you probably would not have found Jesus. Without that tearing lost, you probably would still be blind to God’s grace. The Lord is amazing. He uses harsh events and heart breaking tears to tell a marvelous story. He so often uses those tears to bring someone else to Him or he uses those tears to bring us to Him. He opens our eyes through the deepest pain. He gives us wisdom and strength through the back aching, tear falling times. With our life’s challenges, we can tell who God is and His mercy and love toward His people. So let’s be thankful. Thankful for the hurt, it got us here.

 

¹ I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.
² I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your constant love and truth.
You have exalted Your name
and Your promise above everything else.
³ On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.

Psalm 138:1-3 HCSB