Until cancer stormed into my life, I was a very ungrateful person; daily taking God’s gifts and blessings in my life for granted. But that all changed amidst cancer, and I began to live a life of thanksgiving instead. The following story played a big role in my journey to a grateful heart--- 

  While sitting in a hospital waiting room years ago, I was feeling extremely sorry for myself. And that self-pity was growing by the minute as I pondered my circumstances. Thirty-three-years old then, I was a wife and a mom with a five-percent chance of surviving stage four ovarian cancer. It seemed like an impossible situation with no way out. 

  That day at the hospital, I was soon consumed by self-pity when a man in a wheelchair was wheeled past me. He was the sickest person I had ever seen; skin and bones, sunk down in the wheelchair, thinning hair and drowning in a hospital gown. He was also wearing a face mask to protect him from any germs. I was literally stunned by his appearance. Breaking the silence, my husband, Pete, spoke up. “No matter what your situation is, there is always someone worse off than you are.” 

  As those words fell from Pete’s lips and filled my thoughts, my whole perspective instantly changed. For I realized in that moment that my own situation could have been much worse. And since I wasn’t as sick as the man in the wheelchair, my self-pity was replaced by thanks. Thanks which became seeds in my life; seeds which grew into a life of thanksgiving. The kind of life which, I believe, is the best way to live.  What incredible good came out of a sick man’s life and a timely comment by Pete. Thanks be to God! 

 

Ideas for building thanks into your life---

1. At the end of the day, think of at least one thing to be grateful for and then give God thanks!

2. Consider buying a journal that you can use to record specific things you are grateful for.

3. Ask God to help you be thankful in the good times as well as in the hard times.