Thanksgiving?

So another Thanksgiving has passed, and as usual this time of year, I try and take stock of all that I have to be grateful for in my life.

Only, this year, that list is a bit clouded, at least at the moment. Oh, to be sure, having spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my wonderful family, I saw many reasons for which to be thankful. Both mine and my wife’s family are doing pretty well overall.

And yet, this morning, as I write this, I’ve learned that a dear friend of mine’s father has just passed away, having lost his long battle with cancer. And yesterday, one of my nephews fell and broke his arm, leaving his poor mother to deal with both him, and her newborn child. Other family members and friends are facing their own particular battles as well.

Kind of gives one pause for a moment. I mean, I try and be grateful for all that I have in life. And yet, life pays me back for this with more suffering and problems. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t discouraging to be human at times.

Through these clouds I know that eventually, rays of sun will break back through. Today, however, I’ll have to admit I’m struggling to maintain an attitude of gratitude. I guess that comes with being a Minister of the Mundane. There are some days that are just worse than others, and really are mundane. The challenge is to hold on during these times, recognizing that they too will pass, and that God is still there, walking alongside of us all, especially during the gray days.

I have to lean pretty hard on God sometimes, when the clouds have covered up what is otherwise a pretty darn good life. When the “mundaneness” of life has really closed in, and I’m failing to see all that I do have for which to be thankful, I’m really left with no choice but to lean on God, my friend, and ask Him to see me through. As He has so many times, He will see me through the cloudy day, and back into the sunshine.

This is my message to you gentle reader, that there are just days when we need to remember that God is here for us to indeed lean upon. I’ve chosen to call myself a Minister of the Mundane because so often, that’s what life is…seemingly mundane days, with some doses sprinkled in of more than what we think is our fair share of suffering. It can be hard, when we are lost in the mundane details of our lives, to remember we are divine creatures, created by a loving and divine Father with the intention of overcoming the “mundaneness” of life, and letting our divine natures shine forth.

But that is exactly what we are…divine creatures. And, being divine, we can indeed overcome life’s circumstances, and be so much more than what we ever thought we could be. The trick is, on those cloudy days, to call upon God, our heavenly Father and our best friend, to hold us up, and to guide our vision back to where we can see the goodness of life.

I started this chapter with a question, namely that of was it really a Thanksgiving this past holiday? Despite the hard times, yes, I’d have to say it was a time of thanks. I’ve found that, even when I don’t feel like it, when the mundane life has swallowed me whole for a moment, if I can just look to the heavens and utter the simple phrase “thank you”, I’m so much the better for it.

Being thankful may be the hardest when tough times have descended, but its also these moments of gratitude when you don’t feel very grateful that build your soul.

And, that is work worth doing.

-The Minister