If you watch the news in the US, you have seen and heard some tragic stories regarding the bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
The story that has most impacted me is of the mother-to-be who is missing (dead): five months pregnant, and now gone. When someone so precious is lost in such a senseless way, it makes me grateful that I am alive, for there is certainly nothing very precious about me. And then I realize, briefly, all too briefly, that I seldom take the time to be thankful for my life. I suspect I am not alone, and that too many of us just take life for granted.
It is easy to get sidetracked into thinking “how could God allow this to happen?” Or, you could perhaps use it as an example to disbelieve in God. Philosopher Keith Ward once said
It often seems that we can neither stand the thought of God acting often (since that would infringe our freedom), nor the thought of him acting rarely (since that makes him responsible for our suffering).
(cited in Polkinghorne’s The Faith of a Physicist: Reflections of a Bottom-Up Thinker (Theology and the Sciences)
Regardless, you certainly don’t have to be religious to be grateful. I admire people who have an attitude of gratefulness, and I wish I could be that way. As I write this, I am grateful for life and for the many, many blessings I have. But, I know me … it will not be long before I am taking things for granted again.
If you are one of those who has an attitude of gratefulness, and you are able to sustain it, share some insights with me and others who are interested.