Be Thankful

This morning I was growling and muttering angrily (like a lunatic) when I could not find a small item that I had dropped just as I was rushing out to catch a train. I was swearing, I banged the floor (a la Hulk), shoved several toys and pieces of furniture out of the way, to no avail. Yep, I have anger issues from time to time. I am glad I don't have the ability to use "the Force!"

As I finally sat down in the train, late and all, I acknowledged once again that I do have frustrations simmering in me, waiting for any occasion to vent. I should probably take it out on basketball or tennis instead! Given that finding time for that isn't easy, I did what I could, given where I was: I prayed. What dawned on me then, apart from the foolish and futile meltdown earlier, was, first of all, I should vent on God. He's a pretty good listener -- consider the Psalmist's vents across more than 100 Psalms, and he had some pretty awful problems!

So I started venting to God about everything I was unhappy with. It wasn't such a long list, now that I think about it, then it came to me: be thankful. Why? Because when everything is tallied up, I am blessed much more than I am wretched. Of course this is not the most novel of ideas: St. Paul probably repeats it several times in his letters. Be thankful. It puts things in perspective! And byond being thankful for one's blessings, Christians are called to be thankful as well for one's cross. How odd that seems, but again, perspective: it's part of something that goes beyond the moment, even if the problem, pain, misery, and frustration is only there as a symptom that will expose the nature of the underlying problem -- and how to solve it.