Taking Nothing for Granted

When I looked at my Facebook news feed earlier today, the first post I saw said, "Counting my blessings and taking nothing for granted."  As soon as I saw those words I thought, "gosh, what if we all truly took nothing granted!? What if we really lived this way? What would that look like in daily life?"

I've got to say, most of us don't really count our blessings. We may be grateful for a few of the biggest gifts God has given us but if we truly took nothing for granted, we'd be counting our blessings all day long. 

The more I thought about it, I realized that the person that posted that on Facebook probably had a reason for posting that. I looked further down and I saw that the person was close to an eleven year old girl that was tragically killed in Lexington, NC yesterday. Apparently the little girl was in a pool when a live electrical wire fell into the water and she was electrocuted  After reading that news, the "counting my blessings and taking nothing for granted" post makes more sense. Isn't it odd that it takes tragedy to cause us to count our blessings? Why is that? 

Maybe this is why God allows us to endure difficulties.  As humans, we could easily get stuck in the rut of taking everything for granted if nothing ever got taken from us. Hardships, tragedies, difficulties and pain cause us to realize all the blessings we've been given, even the seemingly mundane things of life. The worst of life often forces us to appreciate the best of life. 

Job 1:21 says, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job said these words right after hearing that his children, his livestock, and his servants had been killed. He lost everything he had except a nagging wife and he chose to remember that God is the One who gives and takes away. He chose to praise the Lord even in these horrible circumstances. One has to wonder, did Job truly appreciate his cattle before it was taken? Did he take nothing for granted? Probably not. In years to come God blessed Job with another family and more livestock than he ever had before. I bet Job truly counted his blessings the second time around. 

Today, although it feels wrong to say it, I am thankful for the difficulties of life. Of course, I would prefer it if nothing bad ever happened but if we never walked upon rocky terrain, we would most likely take the flat, smooth roads for granted. We appreciate the light much more once we've been acquainted with the darkness. Maybe this is why the difficulties of life can be considered "good gifts" from our Heavenly Father. I am also thankful the post I saw on facebook today. Wouldn't it be great if we all truly took nothing for granted? If we all counted our numerous blessings each day? I think our world would be a much happier place we used our energy to show appreciation to others, to actively take nothing for granted, and to be noticeably thankful for what we've been given. I'm challenging myself to spend more of my day being grateful for even the simplest things of life and to begin intentionally taking nothing for granted. Will you join me in this challenge?