The other day my mom and I took a drive to the eye doctor for our annual visits. Once a year we have to go through the joy of special testing and dilated eyes, which makes seeing clearly a bit tricky for most of the day. Afterward we had lunch together before I took her home. I will admit, it wasn’t the best day for me and I was in a grumpy mood. My mom was upbeat and cheerful, and I sounded like Eeyore. She exclaimed how happy she was for the cloudy, very overcast day because it made seeing with dilated eyes easier. All I could think about was how much I missed the sun! (This quote from Eeyore says it best.)
“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.
“So it is.”
“And freezing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”
Ah…Eeyore! Sometimes gratitude and thankfulness can be hard to find, especially if life is falling down around us. How easy it is to hate the clouds because we miss the sun. My mom could see how blessed we were to have a cloudy day when we needed it. Such a little thing. But such a good reminder to my Eeyore tendencies.
As I look at the Scriptures and take thanksgiving to a more serious level, I’m reminded of Habakkuk, a little known prophet, who said some of the most profound words of thanksgiving and gratitude in the middle of some very trying times. I leave you with his words, as he said it far better than I could:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:16-18
The Lord, the God of our salvation is worthy of our thanksgiving. Even for, especially for those of us who are a little bit like Eeyore.
