Little Words of Encouragement

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I’ve had an okay month. Not exactly a spectacular month because of the many things I couldn’t accomplish, but above all else, I’m grateful for life. It’s easy to go everyday complaining about things that are not working well instead of just being grateful for the things that are on course. I try to imagine myself being the one that provides air, food, water, shelter, and abundance of rain, fair weather, good jobs, and all the other good things of life to humans and with the abundance of all these things I provide, someone still complains about how he or she doesn’t have enough money to add to what they already have. The thought that people don’t care much about what I do or complain that I’m not doing enough is sufficient to start another episode of Noah and the Ark.

I have two stories to share.

Two weeks ago, I had this massive eye issue. It was so bad that I couldn’t do anything at work because looking at my screen alone was a huge problem; my eyes were watery, they hurt so bad and were itchy. Thankfully, it got better after about a week and I was okay. I’ve started taking precautionary measures to stay off eye makeup and bright screens.
Few days ago, I met this man, a senior executive in a multinational company who was sharing an experience. He mentioned that for a couple of years now, he’s had to deal with eye issues and hasn’t been able to find a medical cure for it. He said his eyes will hurt so badly sometimes that he’d be useless for hours; or sometimes, he’d just sit and for no reason, water will start coming out of his eyes like when someone is crying; this actually happened while we were talking, tears just started flowing out of his eyes. When I asked if he had been to the hospital, he smiled and said “you have no idea how much I’ve spent” and he stopped at that.
While I was complaining about how I couldn’t use eye makeup for a week because the water will smear my mascara, someone else is constantly battling with worse situations. You stay complaining about why your eyes are too big or too small; not bright enough or not having the right color; someone else is just praying for eyes that can work well. That man has more than enough money to take care of himself, but his eyes still give him so much trouble.

Second story.
I have a colleague at work who is a cancer survivor. He had cancer in his college days in Germany many years back and he was telling his experience about chemotherapy, alopecia, losing years of school and so on. He went to talk to a woman who presently has cancer in an attempt to encourage her that whether or not she survives it, she is safe in the hands of God. The passion with which this woman spoke about how grateful she is for the number of years she lived in sound health made me feel guilty about myself.
I am very familiar with cancer. I know it so well and I know it’s a hard place to be especially for the family of the patient; both financially and emotionally. But with this woman’s family, you can see gratitude to God despite the challenges they are facing. She has two grown daughters that have this aura of joy around them and it amazes me how they manage to stay joyful through the illness.
**End of Stories**

At the risk of writing an epistle, this is a word of encouragement that no matter how crooked or hopeless a situation might be, there are still reasons to be thankful. It might not be health challenges; it might be failure to accomplish some set goals of 2012 as we enter into the so-called “ber” months; it might even be dealing with loss in any form. What I know is this: God always leaves at least a tiny little reason to be thankful whether or not He does something.
Whatever it is that you are facing; realize that the end hasn’t come and as long as you are alive, you can still get through it. There’s always time to make something better as long as you’re still breathing.

This is the reason I’m grateful for life.

Have an awesome September!