T is for trials, tribulations - and Thanksgiving

I haven’t done this in a while: Write in my blog or make my list of the Top Ten Things I’m Thankful For.

I’ve been busy. Really busy.

I started a new and demanding job in June. I never imagined working for Livingstone College, but it has been the most wonderful experience thus far.

From meeting new people and making new friends to learning new things and being inspired to achieve more for myself, this journey has proven to be necessary for my personal and professional growth.

But life keeps happening - no matter the journey.

A little more than a month after taking the new job, the unthinkable happened to my best friend. He was injured by a relative. Stabbed. In the neck. While he slept.

He was hospitalized for 11 days.

He would be the first to say he is a walking miracle. I would be the second and the LOUDEST.

His family doctor is still in awe over how the main artery was dodged. It was nothing short of divine intervention. We know it was God Almighty, our fortress and tower in times of trouble.

Many wonderful things happened from this tragedy, though. He would be the first to say that as a result of all the good consequences, he would go through it again if necessary. (I would like to think that’s an exaggeration – just in case the angels are listening.)

Family situations were reconstructed and resolved. Prayer meetings were held nightly in the waiting rooms. New friendships were forged and old ones were renewed. Family ties were strengthened. Doubt was eliminated. Faith was rekindled.

I’ve learned that that’s the way God is. He intervenes in a way that we least expect sometimes. While we’re looking left, He’s coming from the right. While we’re looking up, He’s tapping us on our shoulders. While we’re sleeping, He’s controlling the hands of evil. And while we’re healing and recovering, He’s rearranging our circumstances.

I understand better now the Scripture of James 1:2-4: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Of course it doesn’t feel good when we’re going through tribulations, but if we persist through them with faith, hope, love and an unwavering belief in God and his power, life will be as it should be on the other side of it.

So this year, though it sounds odd to the ear, I’m thankful for my trials and tribulations. Without them, I would not have made new friends and gotten reacquainted with old ones; I would not have a renewed devotion to an enduring friendship; and I would not have witnessed a miracle, a testament to God’s mercy and grace.

My best friend would be the first to say this is what he is thankful for, too. But I would be the second ... and the LOUDEST.

(Wait, I was the first to say it. Oh well ...)