By Guest Writer Rebecca Good

One Wednesday morning, before five o’clock, I was awakened due to the fact my right leg joints were in excruciating pain. I’ve gotten joint pain in my legs numerous times before, ranging from mild to extreme. This time, it was extreme. The pain was so bad that I just wanted someone to come and cut my entire leg off.

There is never any relief to be found for these pains, either. I always just have to wait it out.

It was during my attempt to “wait it out” that I remembered what God had been (and still is) trying to ingrain into this hard head of mine: no matter what happens to me, whether it be good or bad, I am supposed to be thankful.

But how am I supposed to be thankful when my leg is screaming in pain and it seems there is absolutely nothing I could possibly be thankful for? Honestly, what is there to give thanks for in this situation? These are the questions that flooded my mind that morning. And you know what happened next? God answered my questions with a gentle reminder: Whether you “feel” like it or not, you must always choose to give thanks. There is always something to be thankful for — you just need to open your eyes and look.

Certainly being thankful was the very last thing I felt like doing, but I knew I needed to. I just wasn’t quite sure how to do that. I didn’t know what that “something” was that I should choose to be thankful for.

Well, guess what? God showed me the door – a way to be thankful despite the pain I was feeling. What was it? Here’s the answer: I have a leg. But not only this, I have two legs. Two perfectly formed legs. Not everyone has two legs; not everyone has one full-formed body. Some have had amputations. Some are born without limbs. Some have legs that are joined together, making them either a “mermaid” or a Siamese twin. But not me. I have been blessed with two full, no-defect legs. A whole body, not disfigured. This is a blessing I have taken for granted my entire life.

I’ve come to realize how many opportunities I am given daily in which I can choose to either give thanks or complain. It is hard – so hard – to be thankful even despite the pain. Adding to the difficulty of it all is my complete imperfection. Given that, I fail…a lot. But no matter how many times I may fail, there is always another opportunity in which I can choose to offer up my thanksgiving to God…and He is ALWAYS there to back me up. I know that’s one thing I am thankful for.

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Rebecca Good is a 17-year-old senior in high school with a passion for God.