Today my friend and I were coming out of our biology
class and we were greeted by a “lovely” heavy rain. All
we could think about was how we were going to get to
our next class across campus. Neither one of us had
brought an umbrella and we had left our jackets in my
car. We had heard a rumor that it might rain but neither
of us had really believed the reports. So, needless to say,
my friend and I ran out into the pouring rain to our next
class attempting to shield ourselves with our binders. Of
course, when we got to our next class we were both
soaked from head to toe and shivering because the
building’s air conditioning was on. (It had been hot earlier
that day.) At the time, all my friend and I could think
about was how miserable we felt. But it is November —
the time of the year that we set apart to think about the
blessings we have and what we can be thankful for! Since
its time for thanksgiving, we are going to do a little exer-
cise together. I want you to think of a random event that
happened to you within the last few days — one, that at
the time, seemed more negative than positive (as I did
above). Go ahead and think about it — I’ll wait.
Got one? Awesome. Now I want you to flip that event on
its head. How were you blessed by the event? What are
you thankful for after the event occurred? 1 Thessalonians
5:18A (ESV) says, “Give thanks in all circumstances….” So
that is what we are going to do. What happened in my
event that was a blessing? Well, let’s start at the basics: I
thank God for the rain that we so desperately need in
California right now. I thank God that when I did not have
my umbrella I did have somewhere to run to in order to
shelter from the rain. I thank God that, a few days after
this, I have not gotten sick. I thank God that rain only
lasted about an hour or so, and my friend and I were able
to run to my car and get our jackets after class. And I can
even look at the fact that I had my binder to help shield
me, because I probably would have been a lot more
soaked if I had not had it. These are just a few examples
of the blessings that were hidden in what I at first
thought was an annoying inconvenience.
So what can you do with this? This is an exercise to help
you see that we always have something for which to be
thankful. It’s not always easy to remember that. But we
can look at small inconveniences and find things for
which to be thankful. It will only become easier to find
things to be thankful for, and to thank God for, when
times are hard.
SR November 2015
15
YOUNG ADULT
Willy Villalpando
Maranatha Community Church, Colton, CA
SR
for the Rainy Days!
