So I'm sitting here watching The Ultimate Gift (which, if you've never seen it, you should... like now), which is all about a spoiled rich kid learning the gift of things like work. Recently, I've been thinking about all of the "gifts" that I've received that sure did NOT seem like gifts at the time I received them. In the midst of everyone else's thankful posts, I wondered if I could come up with 100 things I was thankful for and 100 "gifts" I'm now thankful for. As a disclaimer, I would trade almost every single one of these "gifts" for another way of getting the end result.
1. My father's death- Let me just reiterate that I am not thankful that my dad is gone. I would likely give back every single lesson I've learned to have him back. What I'm thankful for is what came out of it. Friends and family rallied around. People stepped in to help fill the void that he left. However, something even more amazing came from this- I was able to pass along the gift. My freshman year a girl on my hall's sister died suddenly. The other girls on my hall looked to me wondering how to be there for her. A couple of years later I shared my story in Juarez and a guy on the team said it made him want to repair the relationship with his father. One of my best friends from childhood lost her dad; I could assure her she would make it. Most recently, another friend lost her dad. I remember what it was like wishing someone knew how I felt. I am incredibly thankful to be able to be that person for other people.
2. Being rejected- Kids are cruel; so are adults. Like every other person on the face of the planet, I know what it's like to feel rejected. In the moment, it hurt; it cut deeply into my soul. I wondered if I would ever be accepted. Good news: I was. :-) And because I was rejected, I think it made me a more sensitive and caring person. That feeling made me realize I never wanted to make another person feel that way.
3. Arguments and hard times with friends- I can't count the number of times I've had conversations that were anything other than fun with close and dear friends. At the time, I was by no means thankful. Looking back, I'm thankful for friends I could argue with. I'm thankful for friends who I was comfortable enough with to be myself. I'm thankful for friends committed enough to work through the hard times.
4. Being jobless- Okay, there were DEFINITELY parts of this that I was extremely thankful for. However, at some point, I was SO ready to have a job. I never realized how much of my identity and feelings of worth were wrapped up in whatever I was doing at the time. At some points, I felt like I was wondering around aimlessly as I kept waiting for jobs. I'm thankful for the reminder that what I do is not who I am.
5. Being lonely- Loneliness sure didn't feel fun at the time. It also felt like it was going to last forever and that I would never again have friends. Well, it didn't. Shocker: I made friends. Every time. And every time the friends I made were worth the loneliness. I'm also thankful because the Holy Spirit became a dear friend.
I'm sure there are more things I could be thankful for, but the post was getting a little bit long. What about you? What's a gift you didn't want, but you're currently thankful for?
1. My father's death- Let me just reiterate that I am not thankful that my dad is gone. I would likely give back every single lesson I've learned to have him back. What I'm thankful for is what came out of it. Friends and family rallied around. People stepped in to help fill the void that he left. However, something even more amazing came from this- I was able to pass along the gift. My freshman year a girl on my hall's sister died suddenly. The other girls on my hall looked to me wondering how to be there for her. A couple of years later I shared my story in Juarez and a guy on the team said it made him want to repair the relationship with his father. One of my best friends from childhood lost her dad; I could assure her she would make it. Most recently, another friend lost her dad. I remember what it was like wishing someone knew how I felt. I am incredibly thankful to be able to be that person for other people.
2. Being rejected- Kids are cruel; so are adults. Like every other person on the face of the planet, I know what it's like to feel rejected. In the moment, it hurt; it cut deeply into my soul. I wondered if I would ever be accepted. Good news: I was. :-) And because I was rejected, I think it made me a more sensitive and caring person. That feeling made me realize I never wanted to make another person feel that way.
3. Arguments and hard times with friends- I can't count the number of times I've had conversations that were anything other than fun with close and dear friends. At the time, I was by no means thankful. Looking back, I'm thankful for friends I could argue with. I'm thankful for friends who I was comfortable enough with to be myself. I'm thankful for friends committed enough to work through the hard times.
4. Being jobless- Okay, there were DEFINITELY parts of this that I was extremely thankful for. However, at some point, I was SO ready to have a job. I never realized how much of my identity and feelings of worth were wrapped up in whatever I was doing at the time. At some points, I felt like I was wondering around aimlessly as I kept waiting for jobs. I'm thankful for the reminder that what I do is not who I am.
5. Being lonely- Loneliness sure didn't feel fun at the time. It also felt like it was going to last forever and that I would never again have friends. Well, it didn't. Shocker: I made friends. Every time. And every time the friends I made were worth the loneliness. I'm also thankful because the Holy Spirit became a dear friend.
I'm sure there are more things I could be thankful for, but the post was getting a little bit long. What about you? What's a gift you didn't want, but you're currently thankful for?
