Gratitude

I was sitting in church on Sunday and the musical number was this song.

I had never heard it before. I love it. My favorite part is the chorus:

        

  But maybe not, not today

Maybe you'll provide in other ways. 

And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to you

with Gratitude

For lessons learned in how to trust in you

That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream

In abundance or need

It's taken me a long time to learn this lesson. And it was a hard lesson to learn. So often we pray for something specific. And it doesn't happen the way we want it to. I remember my junior year of high school praying so hard every day that my dad would get better and that everything would be back to normal at our house. And I wasn't the only one. People all around the world were praying for the exact same thing. Well, it's almost 8 years later. And things are still not back to "normal". He still has health battles that he fights every single day. Our version of normal includes dr visits and TPN and iron and medication infusions, etc. That's where the "Maybe not, not today. Maybe you'll provide in other ways" comes in. We have been provided for. We have the best family and friends we could imagine. We have grown closer as a family. We may not have asked for this trial, but we could have been given much worse. 

So here goes the gratitude part. I'm grateful that we are a forever family. That knowledge has gotten us through absolutely everything that has been thrown our way. I'm grateful for the many lessons learned throughout this test. And there are many. Patience. Trust in a larger plan that we cannot see even when we wish we could. Hope that maybe tomorrow things will be better than today. Baby steps are bigger than they seem. Gratitude for amazing neighbors and friends that always made sure we were taken care of. Faith that things will work out in the way that they are supposed to and that we can handle whatever that plan is. Knowledge that our Heavenly Father is very much aware of what we are going through and sends us people to be his angels on earth. 

We are blessed. So "Maybe not. Not today... and if that's the case, we'll give thanks to you with Gratitude."