The following is excerpted from a book I am currently reading/studying called Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss:
The way the story goes, a Hungarian man went to the local rabbi and complained, “Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?”
The rabbi answered without hesitation, “Take your goat into the room with you.”
The man looked back at him as if he’d certainly misunderstood. But he hadn’t. “Do as I say,” the rabbi insisted, “and come back in a week.”
Seven days later, the man returned, looking more distraught than before. “We can’t stand it!” he said to the rabbi. “That goat is filthy!”
“Then go home and let the goat out,” the rabbi answered. “Come back again in a week.”
It was a radiant Hungarian who returned to the rabbi the following week. His demeanor spelled relief and refreshment. “How are you now?” the rabbi asked.
“Life is beautiful,” the man answered. “We enjoy every minute now that there’s no longer any goat—only the nine of us.”
It’s all in how you look at it.
It’s a matter of attitude.
I had to laugh when I read this. How often I whine and complain when my circumstances could be so much worse! Most times we don’t understand how good we have it until something goes awry in our life (our “goats in the room”). I am working on being thankful in all circumstances (not easy!) but the good news is I’m not working on it alone. I find that these situations, which are less than ideal, are exactly the ones that take me to God in prayer and draw me closer to Him.
The scripture that comes to mind just happens to be the one that I chose for last week (I’m sensing a theme here). It’s from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 16 through 18:
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
May your day be filled with gratitude!