Giving Thanks for Hidden Treasures
Photo: Karen O’Connor
Have you ever come to a point where you were so fed up you couldn’t imagine going on? Maybe you weren’t able to put your finger on the frustration. You just knew things were all wrong and you didn’t know what to do about them.
Maureen talked with me about such a time in her life. “I remember when my life felt like a giant landfill!” she said. “Everywhere I looked I saw a huge bag of trash. Finances–I wished I had more money. Marriage–I wished my husband did things my way. Family relationships–I wished my parents and kids were more supportive. Friendships–I wished people were more thoughtful.”
Wish. Wish. Mumble. Complain. Maureen admitted she couldn’t find anything to be happy about. To get away from it all–at least for a day–she ran off to the desert with a group of walkers. A good workout was just what she needed to gain some perspective.
After the first hour on a long trail to a distant grove of palm trees, Maureen said she felt overcome by the heat reflecting off miles of unrelenting sand. “I sat down on a rock, gulped water thirstily and poured the rest of the bottle over my head!” she said, laughing. “I was ready to call it quits and head for my cool car. I hadn’t come here to be burned up and burned out, but something urged me to press on.”
As the group drew closer to the oasis of thick, healthy palm trees, Maureen’s viewpoint began to shift. What a paradise that lay before them. In what seemed like the middle of nowhere, she heard the gurgle of a gentle stream, saw large plots of shade under the waving fronds, and plenty of places to sit and rest from the dizzying heat.
“And to think I had almost given up, turned back and driven off in a huff,” she added, “disappointed once more because things weren’t going the way I wanted them to.”
Maureen admitted she felt ashamed of her selfish thoughts and self-centered point of view. “I knew God was speaking to me,” she said, “calling me aside for a heart-to-heart conversation. It was clear I needed a good ‘talking to,’ as my mother used to say.”
She sat down, took off her boots, dipped her feet and neckerchief into the cool water and rested in God’s presence. As the water relieved the heat, God’s gentle prodding brought relief to Maureen’s weary mind.
“I felt Him encouraging me to take a look at these good folks who were there with me, my companions and fellow-walkers who loved the outdoors, appreciated nature and who enjoyed the friendship of others with this common interest. What a privilege it was just to be here. My lungs and legs worked. My feet had carried me without complaining. My heart accepted the extra burden. How blessed I was simply to be,” she said.
Then Maureen thought about her family, her husband who supported her unselfishly with his time and energy–even if his ways were not always her ways, her children and grandchildren who brought such joy into her life, and her work as an artist.
“I was living my dream,” she said, “doing what I loved to do and what God had called me to do. Maybe I didn’t have all the money I’d like to have, but I had enough. I was never without anything I really needed. I had good health, a comfortable home, a car that worked, and a family and church community that nurtured me.”
By the time Maureen finished musing the list of blessings God had poured into her life, she realized she not only had nothing to complain about, she had everything to be thankful for.
“And to think I almost missed these gifts,” she said, “all because I was too focused on my own expectations. I came home that day a different person–a grateful person. What I had seen as trash, God had shown me was really hidden treasure.”
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. — Luke12:34
At times like this I always think of a song (based on the scriptures)
“Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One.
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ his Son. Give thanks!”
and what about this one
“For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the land which from our birth over and around us lies.
Lord of all the Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise”
Happy Thanksgiving Karen!
I love these lyrics. Thanks so much, Etta Mae, and Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Yes, Let us all keep on giving thanks for all the blessings we have this very day. My heart breaks as I look at the news and see all those dear souls with out home or belongings! Up in smoke! So let us stop, give thanks for all we have and get on with helping those who need us. This is a great story Karen and it touched my memories of desert hikes, days gone by and present day sad affairs. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all. With Gratitude and Love.
Thanks, Kathleen. You’re right. In the wake of all this tragedy I am more grateful than ever and especially for my son and his wife who escaped the fire in the nick of time and were able to return to their apartment this week with all possessions still intact.
What a wonderful story, and reminder Karen. Sometimes we just need to recall all the blessings we do experience to turn our mindsets to gratitude. Thank you!
So true, Carol. With all that is going ‘wrong’ in the world let us all see that for which we are grateful and find the good even in the things we don’t yet understand.
Beautifully written, Karen. Touched me and reminded me to be grateful in all situations. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
I love this reminder from Scripture, Heidi. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks to Etta Mae for the songs that I had not thought about in a long time. I ‘hummed’ the tune as I read the words ! A thankful heart is a grateful heart and as I get older and older (smile) I see more and more things for which to be thankful. We laugh at the ‘old fellow’ who was asked how he ‘was’ and he replied, “Well, I can still feed myself”. Ahhh, when my fingers are giving me a problem I think how fortunate I am that I can still use them. Thanks, Karen, for a most inspiring story.
Love to you. Margaret
Thank you, Margaret. All is well when we walk with the One who leads us.
Such a great exhortation, Karen! Wishing you and yours lots of love, hugs and blessings this Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Glenda. I’m thankful for you and Brian and Sarah and wish you a joyful Thanksgiving too.
Thank you, Karen. It’s always a good reminder for me to count the blessings I do have, my health, my friends, my family. Life is good! Give Thanks to all you love. Happy Holidays to all!
Roz