be thankful

Hi guys!

Whoo it's October already! Thank God :) Just wanted to share something I learned that's helped me through the recently busy times at school. I realize that it's during times like these that I start to complain more. Whether to others or within myself, I complain that I'm tired, that school is hard, that there's so much work to be done and not enough time to do it. But thank God, He's helped me realize that the things I feel like complaining about are actually things I should be thankful for through a related example in the Bible.

"Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them." (Exodus 2:23-25)

"Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” (Numbers 20:4-5)

Out of His great love and because He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God personally rescued the Israelites from the sorrows and cruel bondage they faced in Egypt. He saw the oppression of His people and heard their cry and delivered them. Yet as soon as they faced a problem such as the Egyptians pursuing them, having no bread or meat, lacking water, they would complain. They would complain why they were brought up out of Egypt as if they had completely forgotten how they had once cried out to God because of the suffering. 

For me, I realize that I was once praying to God about guiding my path to college. I was also once praying that certain classes that I'm taking right now would open up after being filled and closed (and thank God they did!). Then how can I, similar to the Israelites, complain about the very things God graciously granted me after He heard my prayers? I am reminded that I should be thankful that I'm busy with school, that I do have a lot of work to do, because being in college and having tough courses are God's blessings to me too.

One of my goals for this semester and forward is to be always thanking God and remembering how He has provided for me. In every situation, I can choose to look for all the ways I wish my life could be better or for things I am discontent with or I can choose to look around at all the things God has already given me and trust that what He's given is already the best. Rather than groaning or complaining during slightly stressful times, I want to look back and remember how I'm only where I am today because God has led me this far, to not forget His goodness to me but to pass each day with a grateful and joyful heart and to truly say "Thank you, Lord, for everything."

May God continue to guide and bless you all:)