My Sunday Thought for 11202016: Be Thankful for Blessings

Some people see the glass half full.

Others see the glass half empty.

I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.

-- George Carlin (1937-2008), comedian

George Carlin was the consummate comedian; he had a way of looking at the commonplace and seeing the humor in it.  Because much of the topics of his humor were so much a part of our everyday lives, his insight was easy for us to grasp and understand.  His comedy became a string of "been there, done that" moments which we could all identify with.  In his "half full, half empty" quote, above, we can see a realization that, perhaps, we need to simply be content with what we have.  It is accepting that our "glass" will grow in proportion to that which is added or subtracted from it, thus creating a glass which is always full.  It is acknowledging that you should be thankful for the blessings you have and not for the blessings you expect to come.  If we always believe our lives could be so much happier if, and if we spend our lives waiting for if to occur before we are happy, then what if if never happens?  We would have spent our entire lives constantly betting on the hopes of tomorrow and never enjoying the blessings of today.

Glass half empty, glass half full. 

 Well, either way you won't be going thirsty, 

count your blessings not your flaws.

-- Lauren Aquilina, singer, songwriter

There is psychobabble for the question, "Is the glass half full or half empty?"  It is a way of putting our answer, as to which we think the glass is, into some sort of label to stick on our foreheads; positivity vs. negativity, or optimist vs. pessimist.  If you think of the glass as half empty, you're negative, or a pessimist.  If you're banking on tomorrow and are sure you won't get screwed, you're positively a pessimist.  What are those of us who find we are simply happy to even have a glass?  What of those who are happy with the level they have attained?  Perhaps we can say, they are simply content... with being.  Maybe they're thinking out of the glass.

I want to be the condensation on the glass. 

I want to be that phenomenon that takes place 

between hot and cold.

-- Terrence Howard, actor, singer

I think of myself as a positive person, an optimist.  Do I know that bad things are probably going to happen?  No, I am positive they are.  So this should make me a pessimist, right?  I think if you have wrapped your mind around the balance of the universe, you recognize bad things need to occur.  The most any of us can do is mitigate them when they do; worrying over them gains us nothing except to infringe on our happy place. None of us should worry over that which we have no control, and if you can control it, why in God's good name are you worried about it?  Put a smile on your face and keep moving forward toward the final reward.

I am a positive person.

I never think of the glass as half empty.

I just keep pushing forward.

-- Rosie Perez, actress, dancer, activist

I would suggest considering the concept of accepting your glass for what it is.  For the most part it is memories, some good, some bad, but they are the memories which make you who you are and, regardless of how much you might like to be more, you will never be more that who you are.  Money and status might change your situation, but it won't buy you a happiness you never had to begin with.

Better that we learn, first, to be thankful for what we have.  Once we have done this, then we are able to let our glass accommodate who we are as we grow, and not have to worry about the empty space we are waiting to fill.  We learn to acknowledge the reality that things will happen, and when they do, good or bad, we will grow because of it.  

It is who we are.

I am thankful for so very much, each and every morning.  I greet each new day with the knowledge that I am rich in all I require for happiness, and if I find myself lacking, the new day offers me yet another chance to excel in a life which I have, once again, been blessed to wake into.  Every day is a new day, and every day is a blessing of joy in life.  This Thanksgiving I offer you my prayer:

I pray that you find your joy in life,

that you may wake up every morning, as I do, 

with the knowledge that no matter what occurs, 

it is balance in the universe, the balance in life,

and life is a good thing. 

I pray that you see each misery as a task,

a task to excel at unto completion.

If you stumble at your task

understand you are able to get up, move forward,

happy in the knowledge that you are truly blessed. 

Note:  For those of you wishing to read my posts from Thanksgivings past, I have included a list below, in chronological order from oldest to newest, beginning in 2013 when the Congregation for Religious Tolerance was founded.

(2013) Thanksgiving
(2013) Why I Am Thankful
(2014) Giving Thanks
(2015) Share Your Appreciation Day

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.