by Thanksgiving was Thursday, but today, my family is still celebrating with an extended family reunion.
I’ve been thinking about my attitude lately. I haven’t been very thankful. Oh, I say thanks in the moment, and I try to be appreciative at all times, which isn’t always easy. Of late, I’ve been feeling very frustrated about a lot of issues, and I can’t say I’ve felt very thankful, in general.
And yet I just had a realization: my greatest blessing came through a curse. Jesus died on the cross, becoming a curse in order to effect our salvation, our eternal blessing (Galatians 3:13). The most enduring blessing in my life came through the pain and trauma suffered by the Son of God. I am thankful for the curse that brought me back to God.
Now, I usually try to write things that Christians and non-Christians can appreciate, and so, for my non-Christian friends, I’ll offer another perspective of the same idea: It’s the hard times, the times that draw curses from our lips and tears from our hearts that teach us the most valuable lessons.
We hate to admit it; we hate to have to live it. Yet, we all know it’s true: we are shaped by the traumatic moments of our lives, and if we can learn from them, we will eventually find a blessing in the curse.
And so today and evert day, I may grieve some losses. I may regret some choices. However, I will ultimately try to be thankful for the curses.