What comes to mind when you think about going back to school?
It's that time of year again. Perhaps you have already started, or perhaps you are enjoying this final weekend of freedom before it's back to class, back to homework and tests, back to worry, stress, and generally not having much fun.
I saw a photo on Facebook this week. It was a picture of some children on their way to school. They appeared eager to get there. They were carrying their books and backpacks and had on their best school clothes. It wasn't an advertisement with kids pretending to be excited about school, it was real. These children and teens wanted to go to school, and they weren't going to let anything stop them. I'm not sure how far they had to walk to get there, but they were walking...on a bridge...over a polluted river (a wide, fast-moving river in a third-world country)...hanging on to the railing on one side as their feet traveled the wooden boards because the railing on the other side was hanging down toward the water. The bridge was broken and dangerous to use, but they were using it because that was the way to school, and they were willing to risk their lives to get there.
It's easy to take for granted what we have, isn't it? It's easy to grumble and complain and whine. It's easy to see a blessing as a curse. It's easy to forget how much we have. It's easy to go from saying, 'I want it!' to 'I need it!' It's easy to miss the light of truth when our eyes are closed.
I'm not writing this to make you feel guilty if you're complaining about going back to school or wishing your life was different than it is. I'm writing this to encourage you to change your thinking. I'm writing this to encourage you to open your eyes and take a look around you. How are you blessed? What do you have? What are you forgetting to be thankful for? What do you already have that if you lost, you would cross a dangerous bridge to get it back? Complaining brings misery. Unfulfilled wants becomes depression. Unrealistic expectations brings hopelessness and despair.
But thankfulness brings joy. Thankfulness brings peace. Thankfulness brings satisfaction, contentment, and a desire for what really matters.
Go ahead, try it. Make a list of everything you're thankful for and keep it close by for times when you need to be reminded again. Be thankful and be happy. It's that simple.
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4, 6-7)
It's that time of year again. Perhaps you have already started, or perhaps you are enjoying this final weekend of freedom before it's back to class, back to homework and tests, back to worry, stress, and generally not having much fun.
I saw a photo on Facebook this week. It was a picture of some children on their way to school. They appeared eager to get there. They were carrying their books and backpacks and had on their best school clothes. It wasn't an advertisement with kids pretending to be excited about school, it was real. These children and teens wanted to go to school, and they weren't going to let anything stop them. I'm not sure how far they had to walk to get there, but they were walking...on a bridge...over a polluted river (a wide, fast-moving river in a third-world country)...hanging on to the railing on one side as their feet traveled the wooden boards because the railing on the other side was hanging down toward the water. The bridge was broken and dangerous to use, but they were using it because that was the way to school, and they were willing to risk their lives to get there.
It's easy to take for granted what we have, isn't it? It's easy to grumble and complain and whine. It's easy to see a blessing as a curse. It's easy to forget how much we have. It's easy to go from saying, 'I want it!' to 'I need it!' It's easy to miss the light of truth when our eyes are closed.
I'm not writing this to make you feel guilty if you're complaining about going back to school or wishing your life was different than it is. I'm writing this to encourage you to change your thinking. I'm writing this to encourage you to open your eyes and take a look around you. How are you blessed? What do you have? What are you forgetting to be thankful for? What do you already have that if you lost, you would cross a dangerous bridge to get it back? Complaining brings misery. Unfulfilled wants becomes depression. Unrealistic expectations brings hopelessness and despair.
But thankfulness brings joy. Thankfulness brings peace. Thankfulness brings satisfaction, contentment, and a desire for what really matters.
Go ahead, try it. Make a list of everything you're thankful for and keep it close by for times when you need to be reminded again. Be thankful and be happy. It's that simple.
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4, 6-7)
