What If? Thoughts on Thankfulness

I was listening to K-Love today, and heard something that really convicted me. A K-Love listener had written something on the K-Love facebook page, and it went something like this: "What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday. What would you have?"  So I got to thinking...what would I have? When closely considering my prayer time yesterday, I saw that I did a lot of asking, complaining, and stating the obvious, but I did not thank God for anything in my morning prayer time. What about later? Surely I thanked Him later for my family, friends, possessions, and the spiritual blessing he has given me. Looking over my day, I realized that I thanked God for only my three meals.

You may think that allowing "What if" statements to make me think hard is silly, but I have discovered in various seasons of my life that I am most happy and content with what I have when I am most thankful. On this topic, Charles Spurgeon said, "You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled."  Gratitude and contentedness are closely related.

When I try to purge complaining out of my life, Satan tries to tempt me to think that I have a lot to complain about (which, by the way, I do not!). God handpicked my life for me to bring about his purposes in the world, and to bring him the most glory. Complaining is telling God that he did a bad job picking out the circumstances in my life.

A few years ago, I was struggling with similar discontent/ungrateful thoughts, and my mom showed me a video of an interaction between some sort of aid worker and some young Sudanese children. The aid worker happened upon what appeared to be an abandoned village (probably raided by some warring party). In the corner of the village, there was a little girl who was skin and bones. She may have been injured (I forget), but she greeted the aid worker and the camera man with a bright smile. They gave her some crackers, and instead of eating them, she went rapidly off...then returned carrying two small children- also skin and bones. Taking the crackers, she split the pack in half between what we later were told were her two younger siblings. The girl was only eight, and she already was facing such terrible hardships. That is why I have nothing to complain about.

Will not God, who created the whole universe and you, and who keeps the breath in your body, take care of you, giving you everything you need? Why complain or worry? Give thanks with joy, even if the Lord has allowed some hardship in your life. Maybe you do not see right now how whatever you are going through fits into his plan, but he has a purpose for you. However flippant that may sound to you who may be going through a trying time, realize that true peace, comfort, and security lies in being grateful for, content with, and trusting in God's plan for you life. Find ways to live as a grateful person.


Here's my challenge for you and myself: this month (July 20th until August 20th), every day this entire month, write down ten different things for which you are thankful, and read them at least three times that day. I think the forecast for this month is a change of attitude for me, and for whoever else tries this wholesome activity. And I am looking forward to having that change.

Nepal Trip Report

I recently returned from a trip to Nepal. It was an eye-opening experience for me, and I want to share some of the things God showed me, and some ways people can pray.

Throughout the trip, I felt God’s hand on me and I know he was really protecting and guiding our entire team. We started off the trip (after landing in Kathmandu) with a six-hour van ride. I remember passing thousands of people during that ride, and thinking about how few of them actually knew Jesus as their Savior. That thought was quite staggering.  It really helped my mindset for the trip. I had been wondering what good a two-week trip to Nepal would actually do, but God convicted me that he can use any words we say as seeds in the hearts of each person with whom we would share. It was up to him to provide the results, and I did not have to worry about anything but obeying his calling.

We trekked to some villages high in the mountains, and were able to talk to many people through translators. It struck me with how hospitable the people were. We could walk right into their courtyards and talk to them about the gospel (or whatever we wanted, for all they cared). Their receptivity was another story. Sadly, the ties of family, tradition, and social status kept even the most open and rapt listeners from believing in Christ and giving up their lives of Buddhism.

A few stories of conversations I experienced (either as a listener or a speaker) are as follows: in the first village to which we went, I went out sharing with a sub-group of our team (three people and a translator). I struck up a conversation with a woman who was open to hearing about Christianity. She listened politely, at first, but then she became more and more interested in hearing how she did not have to fear death. In the end, however, she said that she probably would not die soon, but she could not risk losing the respect of her family. We gave her a Bible on cd, and I am hoping that she will listen to it.

Another time, we went to a small restaurant to eat lunch (the same sub-group). It was taking a while, so we offered to help, just for fun. The owner taught us how to make momos (stuffed dumplings), at which we did a horrible job J After eating our lunch, we were able to talk with her about the gospel for a good while. Again we met with the same response: she was worried what her family would think. Her name is Tse-Ring, and she is a mother of two.

One of the most memorable conversations we had was in another village. We went to look for an internet café where we could write home. In the room with the computers, there was a man on the bed who obviously had some physical issues. While we were waiting for the very slow internet, H started talking to him. We found out the he was paralyzed from the middle of his back down because of a motorcycle accident. He was a teacher, but he was stuck to his bed now. In this conversation, which lasted for maybe an hour, we discovered that he was disillusioned with Buddhism, and was quite open to talking about Christianity. He invited the whole team back for dahl bot (the traditional lentil and rice fare of the Nepalis) the next day. So our entire team came for lunch, and we all shared with him. I wondered if it was overwhelming, but he never seemed annoyed or disinterested. He asked a few questions, but never said he believed. Again, the problem was his family. It was sad to pray so hard for his conversion, and to see his unbelief. But I know the Lord used us to plant the seed of the gospel inside him, and, if the Lord wills, it will be brought to fruition in the right time. His name was Shak-Ti.

The other memorable portion of the trip was the journey back. On the way up, we had taken a 20-minute plane flight that saved us days of trekking (though we still had to trek for two days after landing). But as we set out to return, the winds were too strong and it was too cloudy for flights. So, we set out by Jeep…for a while, that is. Then we came to a landslide through which the Jeep could not go. So we had to get out and walk through it to a bus that was purported to be waiting on the side. Someone told my dad and me to take our hiking boots off so they would not get muddy (the mud was up to our mid-calves). So we did – big mistake! Underneath the chocolate-looking mud there were vicious little sharp rocks waiting for our poor bare feet. In addition to the numerous cuts my dad and I both got on our feet, I got a rock stuck in my foot. Not fun! The next two days were filled with multiple landslides, treks, three-hour bus rides that lasted nine hours, falling boulders, crossing streams, leeches, staying in un-ideal places, rushing rivers with no guard-rails, and other such treacherous events. God got us through them all, and brought us safely back.

It was such a blessing to be able to be with H and see how God is using her, in addition to meeting Nepali believers. Although God did not choose to allow the salvation of anyone while we were there, I feel sure that the seeds we planted will be used by him. This trip really put a lot of things in my life in perspective, and showed me that my life (just like the life of every believer) is meant for serving God.

Here are some prayer requests:

·                    Pray for the woman who was afraid of death that I was able to share with               (I do not remember her name).

·                    Pray for Tse-Ring, the woman who taught our group how to make momos and to whom we talked for a while.

·                    Pray for Shak-Ti, the paralyzed man who listened so closely, but was held back by fears and    doubts.

·                    Pray for H and her partner, L, as they follow up with the contacts we made on this trek.

·                    Praise: a woman named Yankee (spelling?), down in Kathmandu, to whom many Christians had witnessed, became a believer while we were up in the villages. This is an answer to prayer for H and many others.