The day itself, 25 years ago today, was remarkably unremarkable. In fact the only thing I remember from that day was the Near-Incident.
I was a university student, majoring in Biochemistry with Chemistry. It was a period where I was starting to re-think my career path in science, because I had realized that I just didn’t enjoy lab work.
Anyway, that afternoon, I was doing a chemistry experiment and honestly wishing I could be anywhere else in the world but there. I needed to rinse off my glassware, so I robotically picked up a bottle of distilled water that was at a nearby station and took it to the sink…
As a big splash of liquid hit the wet sink, the big ‘whoosh’ of effervescence made it abundantly clear to me that I had made a terrible mistake.
It turned out that the bottle in my hand did not in fact contain distilled water, but Aqua Regia, a highly concentrated and corrosive acid that is supposed to be handled with protective gear, including lab coat, safety goggles and acid-resistant gloves. None of which I was wearing!
I set the bottle down in shock, as the magnitude of what had just happened began to dawn on me. Even though I had been careless, NOT A DROP of acid had splashed on my hands, or my skin, or my eyes, or my clothes!!! Nor was there any property damage.
The outcome could have been very, very different...
This was a humbling experience for me. It is one incident in my life where I experienced the pure Mercy of God, despite my shortcomings.
There have since been many, many occasions in my life when I have experienced the mercy, the deliverance, the protection, the compassion, the goodness, and the favor of God. Often in spite of a mess I created. Sometimes I was the innocent party. Or sometimes it was no one's fault; life just happened. Sometimes God disciplined me, but ALWAYS I emerged stronger and wiser…
The constant theme in my life has been God's faithfulness. He has always taken care of me and mine. Even when I couldn’t see it.
So I memorialize all of my stories; I never allow myself to forget. I do this because it keeps me humble and grateful and most of all, it gives me hope for the future. It fills me with confidence to know that the same God who protected this careless 21 year old from major acid burns, will continue to be right by her side, throughout her life.
My Gratitude is my major armament against entitlement, complacency and depression.
My Gratitude helps me to shift my focus from my circumstances, (however dire they may appear) to the greatness of my God.
There was a young man I read about called Jacob. He was quite the manipulator. In a story with more drama than any Hollywood movie, Jacob betrayed his older twin brother, Esau and stole Esau's birthright. Esau was understandably furious and planned to kill Jacob.
So Jacob fled from his land, towards a very uncertain future, and possibly with some regret at what he had done to his brother. On the journey, he stopped for the night, and went to sleep, placing a stone under his head. That was when he had a most spectacular dream of a staircase leading to heaven, with angels going up and down the staircase. And then Jacob saw God himself, who reassured him that he would be fine, and that his life would go on, according to God’s amazing plan. This is what God said to Jacob in the dream:
“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it." Genesis 28: 15-16
The dream was so spectacular that Jacob knew that he could not afford to forget. So he built a memorial at that spot.
That's what I do too. I build a memorial whenever I recall all the good things God has done in my life. My gratitude is my memorial. By just remembering the things God has done in my life, it powerfully serves to remind me that surely, God is still working in my life and circumstances. And I am reassured that my life WILL go according to the amazing plan He has for me.
My gratitude is indeed my not-so-secret weapon.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This Thankgiving, do make it a point to remember your blessings and the things God has brought you through. And then watch the powerful effect of your Gratitude begin to manifest in your life.
Just Remember!
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COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (by Johnson Oatman Jr.)
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
