“…to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening…” 1 Chronicles 23:30, NKJV
The comment was rude and caught my mother and I offguard. “Can you wiggle your toes?” the lady inquired of me in the waiting room. Having been in a terrible car accident months earlier, I sat in my wheelchair waiting to see my doctor for a routine check, paralyzed from my waist down. Mom and I looked at each other in dismay that a total stranger would ask such a thing! After several seconds passed, mom finally spoke up and explained that I was paralyzed and, no, I could most definitely not wiggle my toes. What an awkward encounter!
The fact of the matter is, people will say things that are inappropriate or rude sometimes. The question to contemplate, is how will we respond as Christians? What good can be seen in such rudeness? In this particular situation, it led me to consider all the little things in life with which I have been blessed. Wiggling my toes…I never really thought about thanking God for that ability!
Memories of my childhood experiences are sweet…the cool refreshing sensation when testing the pool water with my toes before diving in…dad holding me down mercilessly and tickling my feet until I could no longer breathe for laughing so hard…the time I had a dab of chewing gum stuck to one of my tiny big toe hairs and I was convinced it was some blood sucking insect that would not release my flesh from its grasp…the time I stepped on a honey bee while giving my horse a bath…memories I will hold tightly forever.
So, what have I learned? I have learned to thank God each day for the “little things.” These are things that I may not have even noticed years ago. Things which I have come to realize are just as important as the big things in life. I guess the lesson comes from taking what people say with a grain of salt, if necessary, but also turning a negative experience into a positive one.
Today, be challenged to thank God for the little things!