Thankful Thursday: Wounded, but not Dead

Ok, I know I haven't done a Thankful Thursday column in a really long time.

It's not because I haven't been thankful--I've just been too busy to write about my thankful thoughts! Creating this column has not been a total bust, though. As a matter of fact, I think this column has fulfilled its purpose--for me, at least. That's because even though I haven't had time to write about what I'm thankful for, I have been trying to look for things to be grateful for, which means I've been noticing those things a lot more than I used to. As a matter of fact, I've been living in a state of gratitude these last several months that I have never experienced at any other time in my life...and guess what? Feeling grateful is a really good thing!

So that brings me to today. Last night at our Primary presidency meeting, one of my counselors shared a scripture which fit perfectly with the rest of the events of my day. It's in Alma 58:39-40. In this chapter, Helaman is talking about the 2,000 stripling warriors. He says "...and the Lord has supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul has not been slain. But behold, they have received many wounds..." My counselor pointed out that these young warriors were not protected from everything bad that could have happened to them, but they were protected from death (a miracle in and of itself), and they were grateful for that.

Well, yesterday Frank's car was having problems again. He took it in to be fixed and found out that the hybrid battery system has to be replaced, which is a major expense. When I say "major" I mean thousands of dollars major...and did I mention that the warranty ran out recently?

However, I am feeling grateful...yes, really! Grateful that this didn't happen a year ago...or even a month ago. If it had to happen, now is the best time it could have happened, with our tax return coming in soon. As He has done so many times before, the Lord has supported us in our efforts to keep the commandments and provide for our family. So, financially...we're wounded, but we're not dead!

I am pretty certain that if the same thing had happened a year or two ago, I would have been really upset, and spent a lot of time grumbling and feeling sorry for myself. Don't get me wrong...I'm not happy about it! But I'm looking on the bright side, which is not something I'm usually very good at doing.

I'm finding that cultivating gratitude in my life is a very good thing!