In every thing give thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Visits to Agnes frustrated me to no end. Agnes was a small, thin woman with bent shoulders and a wrinkled brow. A frown seemed to be permanently etched on her face, and her lips pinched tight with disapproval.
“Hi, Agnes!“ I bounced into her tiny apartment with a piece of freshly baked cake, hoping to see her eyes light up with appreciation. On my last visit, she had moaned about her desire for cake. Surely she would be pleased! Instead, she sighed and said, "Why did you bring me cake? I was so longing for cheese. I can’t afford it on my small pension.“
So, on the next visit, I took a sack of groceries and set them down on her table. “See what I brought you!“ I said, taking the tin of cheese out of the bag. The frown lines grew deeper as she complained, “I don’t think that will agree with my stomach. It’s been upset a lot lately.“
“What can I do to make you happy?“ I asked. “There must be something you want.“
She thought a moment and said, “Look at these sheets on my bed. They are the last ones I own; see the holes. I need new sheets – not old castoffs, mind you, but some new sheets.“
I checked my closet and found a pair of pastel-striped sheets that were yet unopened. This would be just the thing to make Agnes happy. They were good quality. Surely I would get a smile of appreciation. But there was no way to make Agnes happy. She fingered them a moment, and said in her saddest voice, “I don’t like colored sheets – never did. I only like white sheets.“
I gave up trying to please Agnes and began to find it a source of humor to see how she could find something negative in every gift I brought. But since then I’ve thought how often I am like Agnes when it comes to the lovely gifts God showers on me day by day.
How often do I take for granted what He gives? How often do I complain to God, “Why did it have to rain today when I wanted to work in the garden?“ Or when the day is warm and sunny I’m likely to complain, “Lord, I’ve so much to do today, and it is much too hot. Couldn’t You send some rain to cool things down a bit?“ I pray for a job and then gripe about the one I get. I can think of a long list of complaints I have made when I should have been praising God with thankfulness for what He has given instead of complaining about what I didn’t get.
Grace Notes © 2008 Review and Herald Publishing Association