This Thanksgiving, we would like to share an article that our daughter and Next- Gen Pastor, Sara Loughrige, wrote for the Battle Creek Enquirer in 2015.
Make Gratitude a Lantern-
“No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night.” — Eli Weisel
“The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.” — Dr. Robert Holden
As a young person, my family took many wonderful vacations together that left memories I will carry for a lifetime. I’m sure my parents will find it comical, though, that my favorite trip was not to a warm, sunny beach or the most magical place on earth, but a cave.
Meramec Caverns to be more specific. During our tour, the guide turned off all of the lights that shown the way through the dark, cavernous and rocky path. They then explained that utter and complete darkness for a prolonged period can cause blindness.
I remember being completely amazed by that fact, then and now. What a metaphor for our lives.
Each day we are surrounded by so much sadness, so much despair. We wade through things that must be accomplished and tasks that seem to never reach completion. Some people fight battles with mental illness, care for loved ones struggling with chronic disease, look for employment with no success and try to mend relationships that seem beyond repair.
There are addictions, heartaches, traumas, mistakes, pains, brokenness — all darkness.
Darkness, if we’re surrounded by it for long enough, can blind us to anything else. It’s easy to become consumed by what is going wrong, where we are hurt, why we are angry.
What I remember from that cave, however, and what I remind myself today is how important those lanterns were. Although small and few they kept vision, they showed the course, they kept us on our way.
Gratitude is our lantern in the darkness of our lives. Gratitude has to be intentional and it has to be done purposefully. Many researchers have studied the power of gratitude. Individuals who simply jot down a few things they are thankful for each day have stronger immune systems, sleep better, are happier, have lower blood pressure and are more alert than those who focus on only negative happenings.
I have had a few people get mad over the “simplicity” when I talk about this, and I will admit I have had times in my own life that have been so overwhelmed that I thought there is no way I have anything I can be thankful for.
One of the most powerful and moving remarks I have ever heard regarding gratitude came from Holocaust survivor and 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Weisel. During World War II, Wiesel was deported to the German concentration and extermination camps with his parents and sisters. During their imprisonment, Weisel’s parents and little sister died.
Weisel said this of gratitude: “No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night.”
Tonight, before you close your eyes, try jotting down three things you are grateful for. Then try it out for the next few weeks. Make gratitude a lantern in the darkness.
Keep your vision and stay the course. There are brighter days ahead.
Scott and Clare’s note – We have watched Sara Loughrige (formerly Hockett) emerge with a lantern through life’s dark caves. She has served some of the state’s most vulnerable in several capacities in her day job and our children at Crossroads on the weekend. Yet, despite the darkness she has endured in her life, her bright spirit is a lantern to us, and we couldn’t be more grateful or prouder for who she is and what she has done.
God bless each of you with you on this Thanksgiving Day.
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