Being Thankful for the Little Things

Saturday, 12 September 2015 | Methodist College KL
Refugee Carnival
It is often considered cliche to say that we take our privileges and blessings for granted. Though we acknowledge its truth, we stubbornly let that unhealthy mentality persist. I say this about myself as well, and what has triggered me to write about this is a reminder of the reality of the less privileged people of the world, which came across through the refugee children who visited college for a special carnival last weekend.

The girl in the picture is Beram. She's from Myanmar. Playing the Maths game we organised for the children, she skilfully calculated and derived correct answers, all the while with a radiant smile across her face. One could see so much joy in her as she played that game and subsequent games, and as she laughed mirthfully with her friends. Her happiness came across even in the way she so readily smiled for the picture here. 

Unfortunately she was born into such circumstances that caused her to be plucked from her home country and transferred to this country called Malaysia. Even so, moving here to seek asylum was the lesser of two evils, as staying back where she was wouldn't have been so pleasant either (euphemistically speaking). 

Living in a place that she cannot so easily call 'home' could be a hard pill to swallow so early in her life, especially as she sees those more privileged people around her. Yet, she wears a smile that looks as secure and irremovable as true happiness gets. She attends her refugee education centre feeling grateful for the opportunity to study. It is a privilege and blessing to learn, yet it is something we often not only take for granted, but almost callously regard with a complaining attitude when we grumble about having to wake up early for lectures or having a copious load of assignments. On the contrary, children like Beram are absolutely content with a safe place to stay, and they are all the more overjoyed with lessons and textbooks.

In a nutshell, it touched our hearts to see how happy these children were as they played games as simple as separating green beans and red beans with a pair of chopsticks. When they were given sweets as their prizes, they held onto them so tightly, not simply for fear of losing the sweet treat, but because they know we should value anything - big or small - that anyone gives to us. In the same way, we should remember God's blessings to us: those huge ones that highlight our year, and even those tiny daily ones like having a filling lunch to eat. We should never let ourselves slip into ingratitude, because who are we to question His abundant blessings?

The haze in KL enshrouds such a spectacular skyline, hiding its wealth of beauty from our eyes. In the same way, we often let thick veils of overindulgent expectations hide the rich blessings God has showered (and rained) over our lives. Don't let this haze hinder your appreciation of all that you have.

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 
1 Thessalonians 5:18 [NLT]

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