There was a book that my Mom gave me when I was about 11 years old, written in 1913 called “Pollyanna” by Eleanor H. Porter. It was a book about a little girl who lost her parents and then was sent to live with an Aunt. Pollyanna, because of hardships, learns to play “the glad game” a game that helped her and others around her discover reasons to be glad in every difficult situation.
I’ve recently been reading it to my two daughters and although it was written 108 years ago, the simple message about gratefulness needs to be shared now more than ever. As we read it together, it didn’t take long before we realized WE were also needing to play the glad game as well.
This pandemic has given us all reasons to practice being thankful, and to find reasons to be glad when we feel like grumbling and complaining or perhaps moving to another planet! But I think each day we are faced with the choice, and sometimes difficult task, no matter how bleak things seem, to either look on the bright side or to stay in the dark.
Reasons to be glad aren’t always staring us in the face though. Sometimes we have to look hard to find them, kind of like a minor who shines a light in the darkest place and eventually finds gold. Finding reasons to be glad is like turning on the light in places of despair and hopelessness, where gladness becomes nuggets of gold, where ashes become a place of beauty and new growth.
In the book of Isaiah 61:3 It says in the passion translation, “ to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful bouquet or a crown or beauty in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss or gladness instead of tears and the mantel of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Because of this, they will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Corry Ten Boom found herself and her sister prisoners at Ravens Bruck Concentration Camp during WWII. One day her sister shared a verse with her about giving thanks (or perhaps we could also add being glad) in all circumstances. They wondered how they could find a reason to be thankful for being placed inside a flea infested dorm. But they soon realized they could even be thankful for the fleas as it allowed them freely to read the bible they had smuggled past the guards as no guard would even want to enter a Dorm infested with fleas.
James 1:1 says “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. For each of us our trials of many kinds will all look different from one another. Last week my girls had just been allowed their first day back to gymnastics, this week we have a stay at home order again. Some of my children are having to prepare for round two of Covid Birthdays. For many of us Moms, we are trying to maintain some semblance of peace and consistency and order for our loved ones and our families. As much as I know this won’t last forever, and that we will get to the other side one day, some days it can feel like the trials or circumstances that we’re facing will never end.
Both Pollyanna and Cory Ten Boom did not eliminate their problems by finding ways to be thankful, but they chose to focus on the one who was bigger than any mountain or Giant they were facing. In Hebrews 12:2 it says “Let us fix our Eyes on Jesus”. Choosing thankfulness and gladness is simply taking our eyes off of us and our circumstances and looking at the one who can see us through to the other side.
One of my Dad’s favourite songs was “Turn your eyes Upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
Mom’s I want to encourage you today to play the glad game, in fact, play it with your kids. In all things give thanks, look for reasons to be glad and you will find them.
Remember at all times, we have access to the one who never stops loving us. He can carry us and our children and our husband and our burdens all at the same time and as you lean on him and fix your gaze away from darkness onto the one who is the light of the world, you will find the monsters and mountains will seem much smaller, and if we look hard enough we will see beauty instead of ashes.