Sometimes, life teaches us valuable lessons when we least suspect it. It’s amazing how a little change in perspective can change you from possessing an attitude of stress and anxiety to one of thankfulness and gratitude. Such was the unsuspecting incident that taught me this lesson while driving to work one early morning.
The event
It was one of the busiest, most difficult seasons of my life. All four children were in school, ranging from elementary to high school, and they were all active in sports and various other activities throughout the week. We literally had some commitment every night of the week, and I was physically exhausted.
Not only was I sleep-deprived from late-night games and early mornings, but working full-time with a packed schedule of evening activities left no time for household chores.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had cooked a proper meal for my family. There had been too many nights of opening a can of chili or vegetables or throwing some hot dogs in the pot to get some food into the stomachs of my hungry children before they scooted off to bed.
My house was dirty; the laundry was piling up. Everything in my life was in disarray, and it was driving me crazy.
I’ve always disliked a hectic lifestyle. I prefer a slower pace with plenty of time to stay organized and keep everything running smoothly. The situation I was living in was the exact opposite of that, and it was causing me an overwhelming amount of stress!
Double trouble
To make matters worse, my husband’s mother, who lived with us, had Alzheimer’s and was progressively getting worse by the day.
I worried as I left the house each morning about whether she was going to be okay. My husband worked nearby and would come home to check on her at lunch, but what would happen in the meantime? Would she fall and hurt herself or, God forbid, even burn the house down? This concern immensely added to my already stressed mind.
The unforeseen lesson
This particular morning, I had to be at work especially early for staff devotions. Ugh! I complained! It’s not that I hated devotions; I actually loved them, but this meant I had to be at work at 7:30 instead of 8:00. I didn’t have room in my schedule for one more thing!
The school was only five miles from our house, and we lived near the interstate. However, in the mornings, I always took the back roads because the interstate was congested. It was actually quicker to take the winding country roads with less traffic.
The school was adamant about punctuality, and I wanted to spare myself the embarrassment of walking in after the meeting had started.
With my two elementary kids in tow in the back seat, I quickly backed out of the driveway and turned onto the first back road that would eventually lead us to our destination.
We hadn’t gone far when I came upon a school bus. I had never encountered this bus before. It wasn’t a normal yellow school bus, though. Rather, it was one of those short yellow ones.
Pokey bus
And it was poking! Why is it moving so slowly? I angrily thought to myself, glancing down at the clock to see how little time I had left to drop my kids off and get to the devotions.
The stress in my head continued to build as we poked along the narrow country road.
The bus finally came to a stop, and the driver put out the stop sign. But I didn’t see any waiting passengers to be picked up. No one in sight! What is going on, I wondered, getting ever so more tense.
I need to move now! I actually thought about passing the bus even though the stop sign was out. But I quickly dismissed that idea. Though stressed to the max, I wasn’t stupid.
We sat there in silence for a minute, and then I saw them. A young mother was coming down the long driveway pushing a wheelchair that held a young boy. He looked to be about twelve years old. He was motionless as he lay with the back of his head supported against the headrest. I concluded quickly that he had cerebral palsy or some other debilitating disease.
I sat in silence as the bus driver slowly lowered the lift and raised the wheelchair onto the bus. As I watched the scene unfold before me, I thought about this young mother. She looked about my age. What were her days like, taking care of a helpless child in this condition? Undoubtedly, the only relief she got was the days when the school bus came and took him to school for a few hours. How she must hurt to see her child suffer so much. How much does she suffer each and every day just taking care of him? I couldn’t imagine what life must be like for her.
Perspective gained
I looked back in the mirror at my two young children waiting patiently in the back seat. They were content and completely unaware of what was going through my mind. They were two incredibly healthy and lively kids. They participated in sports and any other activity they chose. They had everything they needed for a successful life and a bright future.
My entire countenance completely changed. All the stress that had been building in my body that morning completely melted away and was replaced with thankfulness and gratitude.
Forgive me, Lord, I prayed, for taking my abundant blessings for granted. Thank you for my four completely healthy children!
Lesson learned
As the bus pulled away, the young mother turned and slowly walked back up the long driveway to her home, never looking back at me sitting in the car behind the bus. She had no idea how God had used her to touch me that day and teach me a valuable lesson.
Lifting my foot off the brake, I slowly drove the rest of the way to the school, thanking God every inch of the way for healthy children and the other incredible blessings in my life.
I now knew that I would never make that staff devotion meeting that morning, and I didn’t even try. I didn’t need to. God had already given me my devotion for that day, and it was powerful.
Cultivating gratitude
I learned that day that gratitude is a beautiful practice that will always bring contentment into our lives.
Being thankful for your specific blessings will not only yield a joyful life but also help you to become more resilient, generous, and humble.
What is Gratitude and Why Is It So Important?: Finding Perspective: Gratitude Amid Life’s ChaosWhile you will always find people who seem to have more than you do, never forget that many more would dream of having what you have.
We always have a choice to either be envious of others’ blessings or to be eternally grateful for our own.
It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.
What instances can you think of when you choose thankfulness over envy? How did that bring a sense of contentment to your life?
But godliness with contentment is great gain. – 1 Timothy 6:8
For more information on how gratitude and praise to God can bring joy to your life, check out this blog.
https://teresaduke.blog/2024/03/08/unlock-the-power-of-praise-to-brighten-your-life-in-2024/↗: Finding Perspective: Gratitude Amid Life’s Chaos
Awesome reminder to always have a heart of gratitude, no matter the hand that life deals us. We can always find someone less fortunate than ourselves. Like you mentioned in the quote from Apostle Paul, “ in every thing I have learned to be content”