No, really. I have truly only dealt with emotional pain. Now, that kind of pain hurts. Losing a loved one, getting a broken heart, having your spirit crushed, getting stabbed in the back, becoming 'a number' in a big system, or dealing with a disappointment or disagreement. Those are real pain. But, Good Lord, I went to sleep in my bed and got up the next day and had a bowl of cereal and life went on.
I have never woken up and thought, "My only job today is to survive." I have never had to sleep outside or on another planet. I don't anticipate either of those happening, and the latter seems very unlikely, as I don't think any human has done that yet.
The reality was clear: I have many blessings to count. Yes, there have been hard days (and there will be more to come). Some have endured battles with disease and tragic loss. Those days it feels like all you're trying to do is survive.
But for most of us, we have never or rarely experienced a hard day. So, we find other things to complain about:
- The weather
- Slow internet
- The A/C going out for a day
- Traffic
- Long meetings
- Paperwork
- Politics
- Food
- There's nothing on TV
- Car not starting
- Someone else's Facebook post
These are truly first world problems, and when we focus on them, we lose sight of the blessing we should be counting. It'll do you a world of good if you'll heed the words of the old hymn: "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings see what God has done." He has done so much for me, and for that I am thankful. Forgive me, Lord, when I complain and lose sight of gratitude.
