Finding Gratitude in the Places We Don’t Expect...

It's important to take stock of the many things that bring us gratitude. Family, friends, good health - and scores of others quickly come to mind. Yet there are other things that we might overlook, and not simply because we take them for granted. But because we might put them in a different category. Things that might cause us to withdraw or play it small. 

I’ll admit it – my ego has a high metabolism. It needs to be fed regularly. With

some exceptions, whether I am at a conference, a worship service, or a

community theater production allow me to be completely honest with you by

stating that I want to be the person delivering the speech, the sermon or the line

of dialogue.

It wasn’t always like this for me. Believe it or not, there used to be a quiet, shy

and bashful version of me. To be fair, it was several years ago, and I can

remember the moment things shifted. I was in the 7 th grade and for reasons that

escape me now I decided to be in my school’s production of The Perils of Lulu.

In case you’ve never heard of this play, rest assured there are several reasons for

that likelihood. It was a quirky and outlandish number and I played the role of a

priest. A priest who rather enjoyed his communion wine.

Throghout the weeks and weeks of rehearsals it never really occurred to me that I

would have to step onto that stage to recite my lines in front of hundreds of

people. Okay, the population of my hometown was 384 at the time, so I may be

embellishing that number a bit. Be that as it may – I can acutely recall the

butterflies I had in my stomach on opening night. I was standing behind the

curtain, stage left, waiting for my cue to enter.

My knees began to shake. I felt mildly nauseous. A fear that I would forget my

lines started to grip me.

And, just as clearly as I recall those feelings, I also remember deciding to ENJOY

that feeling. To try and use it to my advantage. I took some deep breaths and

stepped into the lights with fabricated confidence. Bingo.

Nerves and nervous energy can impact us in several ways. Yet to a large extent,

we get to decide what to do with it. They give us a chance to grow. I heard

somewhere from someone (now that’s a great way to cite a source) that they

overcame stage fright after realizing that each time they had similar nerves in life

it was on the cusp of the best things ever. Asking someone to prom and they said

yes. The interview to your dream job – and then getting it. Becoming a dad.

As Thanksgiving approaches…

I’ve been thinking about how gratitude isn’t only found in the comfortable, predictable parts of our lives. Sometimes the things we’re most thankful for began with butterflies — those shaky, nervous, thrilling moments that signaled we were on the cusp of something bigger.

What are examples in your life in which you used nervous energy to your

advantage? And what can be done to create more opportunities to be challenged to grow?

Sometimes the things we end up being most grateful for are the very things that once made our knees shake.