Give Thanks For Uncomfortable Situations
It’s the not fun moments in life that can define us for the better.
In the United States, today is Thanksgiving, a day that historically, the country gives God thanks for what He has done. Started by the Pilgrims in 1621, who traveled to the New World from England, it was a day to celebrate their first year which had been harsh. They celebrated with the Wampanoag Native Americans who helped them survive their first winter, which was harsh. A day of thanks was loosely celebrated through till the American Revolution, but it was President Abraham Lincoln that made a presidential proclamation in 1863, charging Americans to remember those who had died in the American Civil War. And, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, officially made Thanksgiving a day to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
Every American family celebrates Thanksgiving in their own unique way, whether that be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, or playing football in the backyard, eating turkey and pumpkin pie, or like my family, eating a meal and settling down to a good movie afterwards. The day is a reminder that there is so much to be thankful for, even if you don’t have family to celebrate with, there is something to be thankful for.
As I sit down and think about what I’m most grateful for, it’s uncomfortable situations. I’ve had quite a few uncomfortable situations this year, and if I’m honest, I remember the uncomfortable situations more than I do the joyous situations in my life. Whether the uncomfortable situations have come from my own self-made unwise choices, or from situations that have been unjustly done to me, they either will result in two options: to sink or to swim, to be resourceful or to give up, to become wiser or foolish.
None of us likes uncomfortable situations but they are actually the most important moments that truly define us. They give us thicker skin and strengthen our character if we allow them to. One situation this year in particular was painful in how I was treated. I knew early on that it was unjust and without good reason. I don’t let people take advantage of me so I pushed back and received some small justice, but the pain was still there, but in that moment, I had to quickly decide if I would sink or swim, if I would allow my skin to become even more thinker, and trust God through it all. I chose to swim, to allow my skin to become thicker, and to trust God.
Our lives are made up of a string of situations, and each situation along the way is a test and preparation to get us ready for the plans and purposes that God has for our lives. In the uncomfortable situations, God is looking at us, at our character, at our temperament, if we’re going to let the evil begotten to us turn us into eviler people, if we’re going to grow through the painful situation, if we’re going to be bitter and give up and become cynical about the world, or, are we going to rise above. As First Lady Michelle Obama famously said, “when they go low, we go high.” The truth is, it’s not easy to go high. Initially it feels good to be bitter and to think of ways to be vengeful. But, in the long term you’re still left with the pain. Choosing to go high and overcome leads to a hope, which turns into a plan for what’s next, and it also releases tension in the body because your energy is focused on building something new, and with the Lord’s help and will, that will be accomplished.
So, let us give thanks for uncomfortable moments in life, for they make us stronger and redirect us to where we need to be.
Encouraging Scripture:
“12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Encouraging Quotes:
“Comfort kills ambition. Get uncomfortable and get used to it in your pursuit of your goals and dreams. ”