July 13, 2023

Recently, I had one of the most horrible experiences that I’ve had in a long, long time.  On our flight back from Ireland about halfway through the almost 9-hour flight back I began to get violently ill and spent the next 3-hours or so throwing up in the airplane restroom.  We all know how utterly disgusting an airplane bathroom is, much less one that is used by the captive audience who is on the plane together until they arrive at their destination.  Unbeknownst to me when I was in the middle of this horrible predicament, but I later found out I had somehow picked up a viral infection that took me down for the next five days. 

During this horrible situation I remember begging God and praying to make the vomiting stop.  I remember thinking to myself, “What can I do to make this stop?” and honestly, I couldn’t figure anything out except to just pray for some relief.  After I got home, I was reflecting on the how that situation reminded me of how we react in our daily lives when it comes to seeking help from God. 

When we are fine, or standing on the top of the mountain, where life is going great and we think we are fine, we don’t seek him, or his guidance, much less thank him for our daily blessings.  However, you let one little thing happen in our lives that is uncomfortable and there we are on our knees begging for his guidance, his help, or his grace.  I recall one of the best sermons that I heard at church a few years back was talking about how we react when in the valley and how there can be victory in the valley if we remain faithful.  My notes from that sermon state the following:

God places us in the valley situations to see what we look like in the valley.  In the valley, we must have faithfulness, but we also must know that God is with us.  In the valley you must believe in the power and protection of God.  Some of us want God to shine on us when we aren’t walking for him.  When we walk for him, he will walk for us. 

As Psalms 23:4 states, “Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff – they comfort me.”

Since being diagnosed with cancer, I have truly worked on changing my perspective about how I look at many different things in my life.  I try to focus on the positive and not the negative.  I try to give thanks daily for the blessings that have been provided for me in my life.  Each day, I work on having a grateful heart, focusing on giving thanks for waking up and being here another day.  Even with this focus there are moments where I fail, there are moments where I struggle to be grateful for the blessings I have and the provisions I receive.  It’s hard to imagine with all that I have been through but it’s true.  I am human and part of being human means that I am not perfect, and I will continue to struggle with my faithfulness to God when things aren’t going my way.  I’d like to think that I am better than I was before and with this situation I have certainly been reminded what my focus needs to be.

I hope that you will take a moment to reflect on your own life and look inward on what you can do better.  Where are you lacking giving thanks for the blessings you have?  Look at how you react when faced with adversity versus how you act when life is going your way.  For whatever it is to you, I just hope that you will take an extra moment or two each day to “Give Thanks” and to feel the gratitude in your heart.  Wrap yourself with this feeling and watch how it changes you.

I did not enjoy the situation on the plane, but I am thankful for the reminder that I should face each day with a grateful heart, count my blessings, and honor my savior.   Your journey may look different than mine and that is okay.  Just fill yourself with gratitude and love.  You will be glad that you did.

Xo, 

Tracy