Lists

I am a list maker.  Nothing satisfies me more than starting the day by making a list (or sometimes I even do it the night before) and then using my pink highlighter to mark a line through each item cleaned, or packed, or cooked, or ordered, or mailed, or taught, or bought.....yes, I make that many lists!

Somewhere along the way though I have started keeping mental lists as well.  I realized today that I have been keeping an ongoing list in my head of the things that have gone wrong this week.  And it was getting to be quite a lengthy list!  A child having an allergic reaction, a wiring problem in my house, a busted cell phone, two MAJOR mechanical problems with two separate trucks, a truck driver wrecking into a huge tree....seriously I could keep going. 

However it dawned on me that while I am compiling this list of things that went wrong, I haven't once listed the things that went right.  I and my family woke up EVERY morning, I didn't fall down when I got out of bed, water came out of my faucet when I washed my face, I saw my reflection when I looked in the mirror, there was food in my pantry when I went to cook breakfast, my to do list was right where I had put it...once again, I could keep going. 

My list of what has gone right greatly outweighs the list of what has gone wrong.  So why do I do that?  Why do I focus on what has been wrong instead of right?  It is because I take things going right for granted .....and maybe having them go wrong every once in a while teaches me to not do that. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18   in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.