The Extraordinary Blessing

No complaining for 30 days! How could I do that? This was the question on my mind when I was first asked to write my grateful list every day for 30 days. It seemed like such a difficult task for me at that time. I liked to complain because every day I found many things to complain about. Even right after waking up in the morning, I had something that I could complain about. When I was upset, worried, or afraid of something, complaining seemed easy. I thought I would feel better when I complained about something bad I had experienced, especially when there were people who would listen to my complaints. Complaining was indeed easy—I thought that I could write a long list of my complaints every day.

The first time I wrote my grateful list, I was confused. I did not know what to write because I thought my life was very ordinary. I was not sure I could continue for 30 days, but I had to try. After pondering for some time, I realized that there were so many good things every day that I always forgot. Then I tried to write down my blessings every day, even the smallest and the simplest things like I could get up, I breathed, and I had enough food. I discovered a lot of simple and extraordinary things that I could write down every day, and it turned out that 30 days was not as difficult as I had imagined. I thought I could probably write more than 30 days, maybe even a year or forever.

Many times I think too much about how I can be happy. I think if I can travel abroad or have a car or a luxury home, then I will be happy. I forget that the way to be happy lies in something simple—gratitude. Being grateful does not mean that we deny our current situation, which may be uncomfortable or difficult. Gratitude is a heart attitude—a choice that whatever circumstances we face, we are be able to find be something good for us because God is always with us. The most extraordinary blessing that we can be thankful for is that God is always with us. And God is good, now and forever.