The Unthankful Years, Part 1

To say that I have been thankful for every year of my life would be a lie. When I was a young believer, I was unthankful for many life events. I wasn’t mature enough to know how to be thankful. I just hurt.

I remember being about 11 years old when I first realized I was a little different from most kids. I was taller, chunkier, and I thought differently. My teachers called me a troublemaker, but I knew I was not a bad kid. I just thought about things in a round-about way and didn’t know how to explain my thoughts to other people. If someone told me to look at the black spot on the red square, I would instantly look at the red square and then the black spot. It all seemed crazy to me to do it any other way.

In junior high, I realized that I had another ability that made me unusual. I could listen to music and then just play it, whether I was playing my clarinet or a piano. I tried to take piano lessons but the teacher gave up on me. Really! He said I acted like I already knew the music and played it like I wanted to. Was there something wrong with that? I thought I was weird.

To top it all off, my mother didn’t think much of me. I remember her crass comments to me about wearing deodorant. She did not take me aside and say, “Listen, honey, you need to begin to use an antiperspirant.” No, she waited until we were sitting next to our camper with the whole family present. She lifted up my arm and said, “You stink! Now, go do something about it.”That was not a real confidence builder. In my later years I did forgive her for that comment.

So you see, I haven’t always been a thankful person. When you think you’re weird or have been ridiculed, you tend not to be too thankful.

How hard is it for you to be thankful this week? For some, it may be next to impossible. I know some other children who may think that same way today. But today I can say that I have become an overcomer of un-thankfulness. I have learned to be thankful in all things. Like Paul in Philippians 4:11, “…I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.” It took a while to get there, but praise God I’m here!