The Simplest Of Things

 

"I woke up today and thanked God that I did"

Rush Limbaugh 

A few months ago I was saddened when radio icon Rush Limbaugh shared with his audience that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.  I have grown up listening to Rush and heeded some of his pearls of wisdom from time to time.  Despite his diagnosis, one thing which I have not heard uttered from the lips of Limbaugh is how he has been cheated in some way.  That the man is keeping him down.  That, somehow, life's events were robbing him of his best years.  What I did hear from Rush is how thankful for each and every day his situation has made him.  In fact, he will often began a show with his now famous quote, "I woke up this morning and thanked God that I did."  Now, Rush has never been shy about espousing his views on his faith in God and his religion, so I was not surprised when he said this.  My take is that it is but one more thing for liberal hate mongers to dislike him for.  But I saw something different in the Limbaugh approach to his diagnosis.  Once again I've seen that the simplest things in life really do matter.  I've never talked to Rush, never even called the show.  Believe me, at times it's damn near impossible to get through.  However, I am contemplating a future call to his program for the simple fact of bringing his attention to something he might not know about God.  Granted, he might already know, but then it would be a affirmation.  The common catch phrase out there is that God works in mysterious ways, and that is true.  We might call ourselves Christians or believers, but the Lord still works events according to His will and desire {Philippians 2:13}.  What if, the Lord used Rush's health condition to draw him closer to Him?  You have to admit, it's been done before.  In my own life I've experienced it.  Now, we may never know the purpose to which the Lord allowed Limbaugh's health situation, but rest assured that He did allow it for a reason.  If Rush ever shares that on his program I'll listen with a open heart.  Yet, that is between himself and the Lord he serves.  

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4: 13 NKJV 

I have to admit, there are more than a few of the simplest of things which I have taken for granted over time.  We're told that through the Lord we live, move and have our being {Acts 17:28}.  Yet, there have been relatively few times where I have woken to a brand new day and thanked God that I had.  It took a radio personality to reveal to me just how important this is.  Yes, I'm sure that God had His way in orchestrating it as well.  So, I'm left with one question.  How many of these simplest of things have we taken for granted over the years?  How many times have we said to ourselves, "Well, it'll be there tomorrow so I'll deal with it then?"  I have no way of knowing for sure, but I'm sure that Rush Limbaugh's thoughts were not on a terminal illness in the days leading up to his own diagnosis.  That's the way it usually goes.  The simplest things are usually those we most take for granted.  I have no idea how many days upon this earth that I will be here, but what I do know is that I will be thankful for each and every one of them.  I've shared more than a few times of how hard I prayed that my mother would recover from her sickness.  When that didn't happen I was devastated.  The first thing I did was blame God for not answering my prayers.  However, in my grief I recalled that He did just that.  See, my mother had been in a lot of pain in her final years.  Many times I prayed that the Lord would take her away from her pain.  Well, He did just that.  Yes, I miss my mom, but I am also thankful to God that she is no longer suffering.  I also thank the Lord for those times that I did share with her.  The simplest of things.  As we head into this Thanksgiving week, many of us will be looking for those things which we are thankful for.  Many of them are obvious...food, shelter and employment.  Yet, we should also be thankful for the simple things, that which we experience each day yet seem to take them for granted.  The morning sunrise, a message from a friend or simply knowing that God is indeed within us.  I am thankful for a good many things, but it took a guy on the radio to show me that the simplest of things are important as well.  

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath and all things.  And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'for we are also His offspring."

Acts 17: 24 - 28 NKJV 

~Scott~