A New Look At Gratitude (and my family's first broken bone!)

I'm sorry - I would've preferred getting this post done in a more timely manner, but when you've got doctor visits and are hobbling around on crutches, it's a little harder to get things done. ; D

If anybody has looked through my bookshelf recently, you would notice that I have added some new books by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, including and especially a book entitled "Choosing Gratitude".

I have just finished reading it, about a week ago, (on Friday, I guess).

The first page, containg a foreword by Joni Earickson Tada, told me it would be good, and that I needed to read it. The following chapters have shown me my need for a grateful spirit, and what that really looks like. Like thanking God not just in the midst of trials, but for the trials.

Well, I guess the Lord decided to see if I really meant it - if I was in earnest about pursuing a grateful spirit- this week.

    Sunday, I was picked up at church by Mrs. Billings with her horses, and my grandparents, who we would be following to a Cowboy Church Camp. I had been looking forward to this camp since last year, after my grandparents (who attend Cowboy Church) had gone, and told me how wonderful it was.

This camp had 190 miles of trails - on 5100 beautiful acres of rolling hills, woods, open fields, and caves and cliffs. And horses . . . . so  . . . .many. . . horses! Horses to rent and to ride, and hundreds of stalls, if you want to bring your own. Gorgeous horses to take pictures of - just name the breed and the color. ; D

    And it was church camp too - a (Cowboy) church service every evening, Bible studies, and singing around campfires.

I was so keyed up, so wound tight, I couldn't sleep the night before, and when I got to church, I could not stop smiling - I think my friends noticed. ; D You know me!

     Well, my ride arrived, and we headed out. I had a wonderful visit with Mrs. Billings on the way. She had heard that I was reading "Choosing Gratitude" and looked forward to reading it herself, so I told her about it, and read a few passages that had stuck out to me.

   Upon arrival, chaos immediately set in as we read a sign posted by the gate, telling us that all horses without veterinary papers for this certain rare disease would not be permitted. State Law. Of course, neither of us had expected this; we didn't have a brochure, and the disease was so rare, and she thought you only needed those papers for shows . . . we didn't have any papers.

Sinking feelings slowed our steps as we went in to the office to try and register, and tell the manager the news.

     They told us we could get a local vet to come do a quick test and get the necessary papers, but we would have to quarantine the horses until then. First, we had to call both local veterinary clinics to find one that would come to the ranch (instead of having to come to them) and would do it immediately.  Once that was settled, and we had scheduled an appointment for that afternoon, we drove through the ranch to this overgrown, secluded little round pen, to wait for the vet to arrive.

While we were waiting, we drove the trailer down to the stalls and parked it (which was another ordeal) and went back to the office to see about our rooms in the lodge.

[Talking it over in Grandma and Grandpa's room late that evening, we were laughing about how crazy the day was - everything went absolutely wrong, nothing ran smoothly, it was unreal! I thought things were only this insane on I Love Lucy, but I guess not! ; D]

   First of all, we had this friendly older man from the office helping us park the trailer, but he parked it in (I am not kidding) FIVE (5) different places before he was satisfied, and the place he finally chose backed up to a steep hill, and we were all afraid it was going to go careening down the hill backwards as soon as we unhitched it. Well, it very nearly did . . . but it got left there, with blocks of wood behind the tires.

   Then we went to our rooms, one of which was finally sorted out, to unpack some and wait for the vet. Mrs. Billings had a room, but my grandparents still didn't know what room they were to stay in, so they remained at the office, where I believe the entire staff was trying to decide where their room was.
Even though they reserved it last year.

     After a little while, Mrs. Billings and I went back up to the quarantine pen to wait for the vet. He soon arrived, ran the tests and filled out the papers, and went to the office to deliver the results.

We had Mrs. Billings' truck, and we were trying to figure out how best to take the horses to their stalls without hitching up the trailer. Mrs. Billings suggested that I ride one, bareback, and lead the other, while she drove the truck. I had been positively itching to ride since our arrival, having seen several people already riding, so I thought I would try it. Well, "Star" did just fine bareback, with her halter, and I rode her around in the pen a little while.

      I had just commented to Mrs. Billings that my lower back (which I had injured slightly earlier in the week) was feeling just fine, when I felt Star tense up and throw her head down. Then she acted spookish, and I wasn't sure what she was going to do. I was pretty sure she wouldn't try to buck me off, but in new surroundings, with a lot of strange horses, I decided to get off and lead her instead.

 I slid down, but instead of landing flat-footed, I landed on a tall clump of grass, on my right ankle, and rolled it sideways, hard. I heard a small snap, and felt shooting pain as I hit the ground.

    Immediately Mrs. Billings saw what had happened, and she came to help me get up. Fortunately, in the next corral was an older gentleman who had been working with his horse, and had seen the whole thing.
He rode over to the roundpen and asked if I was alright. I think I said I was okay, but things were getting kinda fuzzy - my hearing was muffled and the world had faded to a dark grey, and I knew I was starting to black out. Vaguely I remember the cowboy climbing over the fence and helping Mrs. B pull me to my feet. All the way to the truck he kept me talking . . . asked what my name was, and told me his name was David. If he hadn't, I'm sure I would've blacked out completely.
Then after they helped me into the truck and we had thoroughly thanked him for his help, Mrs. B and I drove to the lodge and got me to my grandparent's room to ice my ankle.

    Grandma and Grandpa had followed us to the lodge, and they helped to get me some ice and pain medication. After a few minutes, in which I was given kindess and love and sympathy enough to kill a person (; D), Grandma and Grandpa decided to try to call my parents and let them know. There is no cell service in camp (Did I already say that? Well, that is the one drawback) so they had to go to a town about 5 minutes away.

     Meanwhile Mrs. Billings stayed with me in the room. She and I had a really good conversation, about the whole day, and I told her some more about the book. (She also shared some chocolate covered peanut clusters with me. There is no medicine like chocolate when you're having a hard day! ; D)

I said-I didn't really have it bad at all. I mean, even if I had broken every bone in my body, I live in America, where I could be at a hospital with the nation's best doctors in just minutes. In most third world countries, you can't afford to break a bone, and if you do, there is usually not much you can do about it. No hospitals. No doctors. No money.

But even then . . . I could choose to be thankful. I have a loving family and many wonderful friends who care about me.

And beyond all that I could ever have, beyond anything that could ever be taken away from me, I have the love of my Heavenly Father and Savior, who knows what I truly need, even if it hurts.

There was a story in Choosing Gratitude that I don't think I will soon forget.

     It was the story of man who went on a short term missions trip to the Bahamas. Not the tourists' places - the ones you always think of, with quaint little villages and bright blue-green waters and shops for souvenirs, but the real places - where the people live - in absolute poverty. The missions team went to a local lepers' colony, to hold a church service. It was a gruesome picture, all of these people whose lives have been devastated by this disease, many without fingers or limbs, some without faces.

They had finished their service, and this man, who had led the service, said there was time for one more hymn, and asked if anyone had any requests.
In the very back, he saw someone - a woman who could best be described as "Body", because that was almost all that was left of her. Almost no features - no face. She raised what had once been her arm - no fingers, no hand- and said "Could we do 'Count Your Many Blessings?' "

    Tears of holy conviction streaming down his face, the man ran out of the building, a friend of his close behind him. The friend turned to him and said "I bet you can never sing that song again, can you?"
The man replied "Yes, I will sing it, but never in the same way."

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Lord has really granted me a different perspective in this little trial of mine - for once in my life, of all times - I mean - it would've been so easy to wallow in self pity over my situation - after all I had looked forward to, and now the weeks ahead, in a cast . . . but He gave me the grace to be thankful.

To come out of this praising Him - for this trial - "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4 
My Grandpa quoted this, and Romans 5:3-5 to me, that night in their room.

That's something else I am thankful for - the blessing of having Godly grandparents who can encourage me with Scripture!

When you think about it, a crucial, essential part of the Chiristian life is our response - that our attitude should reflect thankfulness and glorify God.

And it's not easy - sometimes it's a sacrifice. I struggle constantly with maintaining a good attitude about this, but now I have a goal - and I press on.

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - Phil. 3: 12-14

By the way, thank you to all the wonderful people who have signed my cast, and have and continue to encourage me and bless me with your kindess and gifts. I am so tremendously blessed.

Family and friends . . .<3 Thanks!

The wondrous wit of Dr. Billings! ; D Haha!

My dear Mrs. Kay - my Kindred Spirit!