“It’s not how you look but what you see.” I stared a little closer at the shirt that had this saying with the image of an owl with glasses on it. I had been rifling through the shirts in one of the open air shops here in Siam Reap, Cambodia, when I stumbled upon it. After staring at it for a minute or two, I wandered out of the shop, but it got me to thinking about some of the things the Lord has been teaching me about thankfulness.
As I have been traveling about the world- discovering differing levels of poverty and privilege, observing different economies, and theorising about how to make it all better- I have learned that thankfulness has a lot to do with a person’s perception of the situation. Two people can be in the same, exact situation and one can be thankful and the other not. “It’s not how you look, but what you see.”
I would love to paint this grand portrait of myself as this incredibly humble, thankful person who bows to the earth and thanks heaven above for the food she receives on a daily basis… but this is simply not the case. In fact, most of the people that I have met on this journey have shown me what a lack of thankfulness I possess. And that, is sincerely humbling.
When I left for the race, people told me I would learn a lot about thankfulness. “No air condition? You’re going to really appreciate that when you come back.” “You’re gonna live with the things only in your backpack? Oh my, that’s gonna make you value your possessions so much more.” “After going to all those countries, you’re really gonna be ready to come back to America.” The fact is, that after six months without it, air condition makes me cold. Instead of valuing things more, I have learned that things don’t have a lot of value. And frankly, the thought of going back to a heavily commercial culture… is overwhelming. Here are, however, a few things that I have learned to be thankful for.
I am thankful to be able to call God my Father. “I mean, duh. You’re on a missions trip.. I should hope so.” But really. The more I grow in my relationship with Him the more I can’t imagine life without Him. And the more I am in contact with people who don’t know Him like I do, the more that I’m thankful for this incredible opportunity that I have… to be with Him… to partner in establishing His Kingdom…. to be His hands and feet to the world around me… Yes. Thank you, Lord.
I am incredibly thankful for friendships/family. Friendships that I have at home… Friendships that I have made on the race. Life is full of unpredictability, but having people to share it with that you can rely on and trust is worth more than anything you can buy with money.
I am thankful that I’m from the United States of America. I came on this race with the preconceived notion that the world hates America and when people found out I was American they would discriminate against me. The victim mentality at it’s finest, Ladies and Gentleman. I’m sure that there are haters out there, but I’m pleased to announce that thus far my encounters with announcing my nationality have been positive. I love telling people that I’m American because more times than not, a smile instantly beams from their face. There’s a certain gratefulness that wells inside my heart when I see the remnants of U.S. Disaster Relief in Tacloban, Philippines… or when we pass a U.S. Aid compound here in Siem Reap on the way to ministry. I’m thankful that I am part of a country that’s quick to respond to disasters and is part of empowering people in order to help defeat poverty around the world. As debates and elections stir up back home, I encourage you all to join me in celebrating the opportunity to live in a country that encourages justice, that is concerned with the safety of it’s citizens and the welfare of people around the world, that promotes freedom, and that applauds education and entrepreneurs. Please, I beg you, don’t let the voices of a few critics or the acknowledgement of imperfection rob you of the celebration of a great privilege you possess.
I am thankful to be a single woman. Just so you know, it took a lot of pride swallowing for me to write that last statement. As it turns out, it’s very difficult to be proud and grateful. Who knew. I have had so many “I’m thankful to be single” blogs funnelled to me by well-meaning people to “encourage me” in the last few years that I could have made a hobby out of reading them. I never believed them. Not one. I felt like the only reason they were saying they were thankful for this “season of life” is because…. they were single. I didn’t notice any married women talking about the “gift of singleness”. It sounded terribly cliche to me… this looks and feels ugly so let’s cover it up with a Jesus sticker if you will. As far as I’m concerned, Jesus did give me a gift… and not the “blessing in disguise” kind either. He gave me the gift of choice. He gave me the opportunity only privilege can afford. It dawned on me sometime after observing and learning about women in other cultures. Most women don’t have a choice whether they want to get married or not. A lot of women marry very young out of obedience to cultural standards, arranged marriage, or economic reasons. A lot of women aren’t offered the option of a college education. I am single. But I get to choose who and when I want to marry. I get to choose whether I want to go to school or start a family. I get to choose how many kids I want to have or if I want to have any at all. God, I’m so sorry for whining about how much I don’t have one thing when You have literally given me things only other women dream of having.
I am thankful for the education I have received. It’s common to ask the students what their dream job is. I expected the usual “Doctor”, “Lawyer”, or “Teacher” answer and was completely blindsided to hear…. “I want to learn English so I can be a hotel worker, Teacher.” Or secretary. Or a laundry service owner. I don’t know what made me think that everyone in the world has been fed the same “you can be whatever you want to be” mantra that I was… but that is most certainly not the case. My heart shatters in a million pieces for the children who will sacrifice so much just to be able to write their name or read their own language…. the high school student that will work a full time job and then sign up for night English classes so he can get a better job. I can choose whatever education I want to have. I want a Master’s? I can have it. Oh and here’s a little government aid to help on the side. I’m too busy complaining about what an inconvenience the course work is to realise what an opportunity lies in front of me. What privilege I have squandered, and how gracious God has been to redeem it.
I feel as if I could go on and on about how radically my views have changed since embarking on this adventure, but I digress. I think you get the picture. Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m not grateful for nice shoes…. and I may or may not hug the next stove I see that has four burners AND an oven that works properly…. but I have found that the things I’m most thankful for aren’t possessions, but rather fresh, redeemed perspectives on circumstances that I deemed ordinary. I have elaborated on a few of the things that I’m thankful for, and now I ask you to join me in reflection. What are you thankful for?
