Counterweight

Each step I took up the stairs was a struggle. It felt like my feet were encased in concrete. It was the night before the court hearing that would determine the outcome of my divorce and the custody of my children. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I didn’t want to be dealing with this mess! Life was so difficult.

I was heading up the stairs to perform my nightly ritual of checking on the sleeping kids and blessing them. I ease quietly into their rooms, adjust their covers, and make the sign of the cross over them, saying a silent prayer asking The Lord to bless them and protect them while they slept. Their innocent, sleeping faces always melt my heart.

On this particular night, I dragged myself into their rooms weary with grief and worry. As I finished blessing my youngest, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. It was as if time stood still, and all my worries and pain vanished. I had a moment of real peace for the first time in a long time. What I realized in that moment was that no matter how bad things can be in my life, God provides so much for me to be thankful for. In my pain and anxiousness, I lost sight of that. God blessed me with this reminder just when I needed it most. I crawled into bed still hurting and worried, but feeling a little more hopeful as well.

Gratitude is a counterweight to life’s anxieties and problems. When feeling overwhelmed, stop and consider all you have to be thankful for. Your health, your kids, their health, the roof over your head, a car that runs, the love of your family, even the dirty laundry, are reminders of how blessed we really are. Gratitude is God’s great counterweight to life’s challenges. It helps us keep a more balanced perspective and reminds us that things are never quite as bad as they seem.

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. – Philippians 4:6

 

Originally posted 2014-05-15 06:00:24.

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4 thoughts on “Counterweight

  1. Agree with this totally. A priest has given me penance on this very same thing. It can be tough at times when things don’t look or feel good, but think about all the things that God has done in your life. Most times they are very subtle. However, they add up and have a big impact. God bless!

    • Al,

      You are so right. And, sometimes the smallest thing, means the most. I remember when I was in the midst of my divorce, and my pain was at its worst, I went in one of my daughter’s rooms to tuck her in one night. She looked like an angel asleep in her bed. It stopped me cold, and I just spent the next 2-3 minutes thanking God for the gift of my amazing kids. It was like pushing the pause button on my pain.

      Live Abundantly,
      Vince

  2. I agree, when you have lost all, every new thing that comes into your life is a present you are receiving to be thankful for. And when divorcing you lose everything.

    • Fernando,

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It is easy to focus on the bad things in your life. Focusing on the good, even in the midst of divorce, eases the pain.

      Live Abundantly,
      Vince