On Being Thankful

Word to the wise: This is going to be a pretty personal piece, so if you're looking for political commentary, you're not going to get any.  Also, there will be lots of contractions.

So, it's that time of year again, where we set aside time to be with family and friends.  That time when we gorge ourselves on heinously large foul.  That time we prepare ourselves to be trampled while we try to enter a department store.  Incidentally, speaking of Black Friday, why is it becoming Black Thursday?  Don't get me wrong, businesses can do whatever they want; if there's a way to draw customers earlier, so be it.  All the same, is nothing sacred anymore?  Can't we have one or two days a year where family and God are the focus, without people trampling each other for a blender?  Sure, we have Christmas, but Thanksgiving is one of those days, too.

Anyway, I digress.

So, what am I thankful for this year?  Well, are you ready for a bit of a story?

First, some background.

So, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, I'm a born-again, evangelical Christian.  I have been since I was thirteen and it kept me from ever becoming a liberal.  Now, my opinions took time to develop, no doubt.  Learning in the public school system meant I was bombarded constantly with ideas in direct opposition to the Bible.  Being young, untested, and horrifically inarticulate, it was mostly a matter of keeping my head down and my opinions to myself.

Fast forward to university, following tests of faith and other events that are not relevant to my tale.  In college...I made a mistake.  No, I didn't do cocaine, become a communist or knock up a chick at a frat party on November 11, 2009 at approximately 12:05 AM.  However, I did make a mistake.  One that turned me into a ticking time bomb of emotion that, combined with bad scheduling decisions in my senior year, detonated.

That bomb was crippling and it shook my faith severely.  It seemed that God had abandoned me when I needed Him most.  It left me depressed and drifting for the past two years.

Then Hurricane Sandy hit and knocked out our power.

Now, let me preface this tale with the situation I'm currently in.  My parents haven't been particularly well off for years and I myself am unemployed and, thus, am unable to help them or move out. Considering this, the last thing we really needed was a power outage.  Yet, a power outage we got, days spent not doing anything vaguely productive (though I did finally read "The War of the Worlds;" I can see why it's a classic).

Personally, I found this maddening and got incredibly frustrated.  It seemed like the last thing I should have been doing in my situation was nothing, considering how little I do to begin with.  Outside of blogging and staying informed, my day are unfortunately slim on worthwhile activity.  I was cold, in the dark and had disturbingly little patience for it.

The third evening, while I was waiting to get tired enough to fall asleep, however, I had a revelation.  God told me, in essence, that I had not been trusting in Him or His plan for my life.  He made me realize I had been trusting in myself instead of looking to Him first and foremost.  So I put my faith in God and declared that night would be the last night we would be in the dark and the cold.  I believed (and still do) God had put us in that situation to teach me to depend on Him with a full heart and a clear mind again.

The next day, I got this...feeling telling me to go outside.  It was just an odd inkling to take pictures of the storm damage (which I still haven't uploaded, actually).  Sure enough, when I did, I discovered that a power company worker was assessing our situation and preparing to call the crews in.  Three hours later, not long after nightfall, our lights came back on and our prayers had been answered.

Oh, wait, here's one of those pictures.

More importantly, my faith had been reaffirmed.  I learned that I had been depending too much on myself and the world and not enough on the Lord.  Even now, I'm beginning to see subtle shifts on the employment front.  I also believe that this blog will have something to do with my future as will the people I have met on Twitter.  Seeing what I can do with both, I believe God has a plan for my life involving both.

So, what's my point with this tale?  I'm am thankful for the saving grace of Jesus.  I am thankful for the Lord's forgiveness that brings me, for without second chances, I would have been doomed long before now.  And I'm thankful that the Lord reminded me of this very important and eternal truth when I need Him more than ever.

One last note: I'm thankful for your readership and hope to continue to have it in the future.  If it weren't for you, I'd have given up on this venture by now, I'm sure.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.