I have been stressed out. I tell you, DON’T STRESS… and I have been stressed. A ton of that stress is related to the development of the property around HealthSprout, that I am driving. I have whispered to some of you, that I am involved with other projects in Milton as well, and those aren’t stressful, only the one in Woodstock.
So the difference is moreso proximity, than anything else. I am in the middle of it. Do you ever notice, how in life, there are things that you end up in the middle of, and by being in the middle, you find yourself more caught up in details, items that cannot be helped, or fixed, but simply must be?
God would tell us to call it all Joy, because through these trials, we will find our patience, and we will endure because of our faith. I have recently had what likely adds up to my 100th time in this development, where a closed door, opened with a perfect answer. And through that, my patience has improved, and my faith has grown. So as we come into this week of Thanksgiving, I want to encourage all of you, to stop. Pause and look at your surroundings. I want you to consider what you can be thankful for, that might truly be an “unthankable” challenge.
Could you give thanks for the illness of a loved one? That seems like a hard thing to do. But perhaps God has an incredible plan through that illness, even if it involves taking them from this earth. I can tell you that through the last several days, I have given thanks that we do not have fires here. In the midst of horrible weather and endless rain, it might be hard to be thankful for that weather, but aren’t you glad that we do not have endless dry grasses, and strong winds to fuel a fire. My heart goes out to the families who lost so many loved ones.
Through our trials, our faith is tested, and patience is produced. If you read James 1:2-18, you will see the wisdom in the thought, to realize that through the trials, we become better. We become stronger, and more resilient.
My parting thought on this Thanksgiving Daily Sprout, is that we, people of America, have a ridiculously blessed life. As migrants reach Tijuana, in an attempt to come into America…. migrants that I don’t necessarily want to see them all enter our country, but at the same time I think, “where will the go”. It is easy for me to see myself as truly blessed, as I will likely never have to join a caravan, a homeless caravan, walking towards Canada in search of opportunity. Without money or shelter.
We are blessed with what we have here, and so on this Thanksgiving, I ask that we all pause and realize that even in our struggles, our blessing is great.
God bless you and your families! – Dr. E