Choose to be thankful for bad things

Have you ever been thankful for the bad things that happen in life?

It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s hard to be grateful when you’re sick, get in an accident, lose a loved one, get cheated on, or suffer heartbreak or humiliation.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why does he allow good things to happen to bad people? Why is there pain and suffering? When things are bad and getting worse, why should you be thankful? Note that I didn’t say happy, pleased or joyful – I said thankful. Being thankful isn’t the same has being happy.

As I was heading home from the Texans game Sunday, it took nearly 30 minutes before I could get out of my parking space and start crawling out of the parking lot. My normally two-hour drive took just over three hours. I got stuck in traffic on Highway 290 due to an accident, all while my bladder was sounding an alarm. I wasn’t happy but I was thankful. I was thankful that I wasn’t the reason for backup on the highway, which I could have been if I had just zipped out of the parking lot.

I was thankful that while my bladder may have been full, it meant I had plenty of water to drink. Back in the parking lot, I was thankful that fans are finally returning to watch the Texans and that they are winning again. When I finally got home, I was thankful to be greeted at the door by my loving wife.

While that’s pretty simple stuff, what about the harder questions. How can you be thankful when someone you love dies? You start by being thankful you had them in your life for as long as you did. You can be thankful for all the things they did that made you love them so much. Yes, it hurts when loved ones die. You go through a whole gamut of emotions, but one of them should be gratitude.

You may not get along with your in-laws, but you can be thankful that they gave you your spouse and made him or her the person that they are.

You can be thankful when you get sick knowing that your body has the ability to heal and recover. If you’re in an accident, you can be thankful you are still alive and that it wasn’t worse than it was.

If someone beats you in a game by cheating, you can be thankful that you did your best and also that you won’t be the one with a guilty conscience.

This summer, two of my sons lost their cars in accidents. I’m thankful no one was hurt and that they were each able to get replacement cars. My car is an old beater that is on the verge of breaking down, but I’m thankful every times it gets me where I’m going.

Recently, a friend shared something on Facebook that made me take a second look gratitude for bad things. To summarize, it asked what if God had saved certain people from their hardships. If God had saved Joseph from mistreatment and difficulties, the nation of Egypt would have starved. If God had rescued Jesus from the cross, we would not have a savior and hope for eternity in heaven for those who believe. Basically, if God keeps us from difficulties and life’s challenges, he prevents us from finding success and meeting needs we cannot begin to fathom, whether they be for us or others.

That’s why, when things go wrong, we should be thankful for the things that will go right. You can’t have success without failure. As the late, great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said, you’ve got to have an attitude of gratitude. It changes your whole way of thinking and improves your outlook on life. He called it the healthiest of all human emotions.

I had that put that to the test last week as I started a new job as a delivery driver for a FedEx contractor. It’s something I’ve never considered doing. It’s something I’ve never aspired to or thought I would do. I’m making less money now than I did 10 years ago. It’s hard work and long hours. But I’m thankful to have a job. I’m thankful for new experiences. I’m thankful for the new friends I’m making. I’m thankful for all the beautiful countryside I’m getting to see that I normally would not from the highways. I’m thankful for all the smiles we get when we deliver a package that someone was eagerly awaiting it. I’m thankful for new experiences and challenges in life.

And now, with Thanksgiving upon us, I’m thankful for so many more things in this life than I can count, because like it or not, each one is a blessing. I hope each one of you reading this will find a spirit of thankfulness this Thanksgiving holiday and allow that spirit to indwell in you long after the turkey is gobbled up, the last touchdown is scored, and the last houseguest returns home. In the end, if you have an attitude of gratitude, it makes the bad bearable and helps spread love and peace in the places that need it the most.