"If you would count up the favors of Allah, never would you be able to number them, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
- Qur'an (16:18) -
Thanksgiving is not about celebrating the hyperbole of a historical event between European pilgrims and Native Americans centuries ago. It's a time to surround yourself with loved ones and to remind yourself of all you've been given. Sometimes, however, it takes more than a slice of pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of cool whip to remind you of the importance of gratitude.
This time of year, we are taught to count our blessings. The thing about gifts is that they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the ones we receive are not always what we were originally hoping for. But blessings frequently come in disguise, and when we become distracted by the illusion of what is presented before us, we sometimes miss the most significant part of a gift: The very reason it has been given.
The ugly sweater... It's the quintessential holiday cliché, the gift so thoughtfully wrapped by a distant relative and so thoughtlessly tossed aside by the recipient. It is only when a natural disaster has destroyed your home that you cling closely to the one remaining article of clothing that can provide warmth and security.
Everything happens for a reason, even if it takes some time to understand and appreciate the "whys" and "hows" underlying the "whats." I've been challenged in many different ways over the past two years, and though I've felt distressed, the experiences have always resulted in growth, self-reflection, and ultimately, contentment. The process is not always easy; as a matter of fact, it rarely ever is. But the personal struggle for patience and perseverance makes the outcome worthwhile.
In September, my doctor found a small tumor in my chest that left me unsettled, though we are fairly confident it is benign. In October, I felt that all of my efforts to be a successful Campus Ambassador for the Half the Sky Movement and to organize campaigns that would sincerely make a difference were fruitless. In November, I briefly blacked out in the hallway of an academic building, resulting in a bloody laceration from my lip to my nose and trauma and damage to my teeth. Time and time again, I felt that walls were being erected to block me from moving forward and to leave me broken down and exhausted.
But I was my biggest obstacle.
Sometimes lessons come in the form of physical or emotional pain, but always, they are there to teach and nourish. Those late-night visits to the gym leave us sore and tired the following day, but over time, they do strengthen us. God never gives us more than we can bear, and if anything is taken away from us, it is only because He is planning to give us something better in return. Maybe it won't be obvious at first, and perhaps our prayers won't be answered quite in the way we had in mind, but we must be willing to acknowledge and embrace the gifts in our lives.
This past week, many beliefs, values, and ideas have been revealed to or reinforced for me. What began as a traumatic experience ended with the knowledge that I have a tremendous number of people who care about me and that I, myself, am strong and resilient - even in the face of shock and adversity. I realized that a beautiful smile is far less valuable than a beautiful heart, and I was shown that patience and love go hand in hand, that I was right not to give up when I encountered true tests of faith in the past. And I was reminded that "it is only in the darkest nights that the stars shine more brilliantly" (Ali, may God accept him) - that beautiful things can be born from tragedies and that unfortunate experiences often present themselves to put the fortune that we possess, material and immaterial, into perspective.
You see, the Creator is far wiser than His creation. Humans struggle to come to terms with difficult life events, but that's only because they lack the foreknowledge to see their outcome. We can watch the fading sunset with sadness, mourning the loss of another day and fixating on the difficulties we encountered, or we can gaze at the peach and magenta clouds and the remaining flecks of sunlight with admiration, learning from today and hoping for tomorrow.
I, for one, choose to learn.
Embrace.
This time of year, we are taught to count our blessings. The thing about gifts is that they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the ones we receive are not always what we were originally hoping for. But blessings frequently come in disguise, and when we become distracted by the illusion of what is presented before us, we sometimes miss the most significant part of a gift: The very reason it has been given.
The ugly sweater... It's the quintessential holiday cliché, the gift so thoughtfully wrapped by a distant relative and so thoughtlessly tossed aside by the recipient. It is only when a natural disaster has destroyed your home that you cling closely to the one remaining article of clothing that can provide warmth and security.
Everything happens for a reason, even if it takes some time to understand and appreciate the "whys" and "hows" underlying the "whats." I've been challenged in many different ways over the past two years, and though I've felt distressed, the experiences have always resulted in growth, self-reflection, and ultimately, contentment. The process is not always easy; as a matter of fact, it rarely ever is. But the personal struggle for patience and perseverance makes the outcome worthwhile.
In September, my doctor found a small tumor in my chest that left me unsettled, though we are fairly confident it is benign. In October, I felt that all of my efforts to be a successful Campus Ambassador for the Half the Sky Movement and to organize campaigns that would sincerely make a difference were fruitless. In November, I briefly blacked out in the hallway of an academic building, resulting in a bloody laceration from my lip to my nose and trauma and damage to my teeth. Time and time again, I felt that walls were being erected to block me from moving forward and to leave me broken down and exhausted.
But I was my biggest obstacle.
Sometimes lessons come in the form of physical or emotional pain, but always, they are there to teach and nourish. Those late-night visits to the gym leave us sore and tired the following day, but over time, they do strengthen us. God never gives us more than we can bear, and if anything is taken away from us, it is only because He is planning to give us something better in return. Maybe it won't be obvious at first, and perhaps our prayers won't be answered quite in the way we had in mind, but we must be willing to acknowledge and embrace the gifts in our lives.
This past week, many beliefs, values, and ideas have been revealed to or reinforced for me. What began as a traumatic experience ended with the knowledge that I have a tremendous number of people who care about me and that I, myself, am strong and resilient - even in the face of shock and adversity. I realized that a beautiful smile is far less valuable than a beautiful heart, and I was shown that patience and love go hand in hand, that I was right not to give up when I encountered true tests of faith in the past. And I was reminded that "it is only in the darkest nights that the stars shine more brilliantly" (Ali, may God accept him) - that beautiful things can be born from tragedies and that unfortunate experiences often present themselves to put the fortune that we possess, material and immaterial, into perspective.
"We
spend so much time asking God to cure us of our hardships, yet we never stop to
consider that our hardships are curing us."
- Yasmin Mogahed -
You see, the Creator is far wiser than His creation. Humans struggle to come to terms with difficult life events, but that's only because they lack the foreknowledge to see their outcome. We can watch the fading sunset with sadness, mourning the loss of another day and fixating on the difficulties we encountered, or we can gaze at the peach and magenta clouds and the remaining flecks of sunlight with admiration, learning from today and hoping for tomorrow.
I, for one, choose to learn.
Embrace.
