Aarrgh… NOT what I wanted to hear!

Aarrgh… things started unraveling last night when I got a message from a friend saying her dog had been hit by a car … and could we reschedule our time together today? [OF COURSE!!!] Then, working at my desk this morning I got another message, this time from our bank.

“If you did not make this transaction, please urgently call …”

Yep. You guessed it. Neither of us had used our debit card for the transaction in question. We had been scammed or phished or whatever the correct term is.

Aarrgh… what a pain! What an inconvenience! What a …

Interestingly enough, this morning during my Quiet Time an old song came to mind: Give thanks with a grateful heart. Simple lyrics, but heart-preparation for what was to unfold in a few hours.

• Give thanks with a grateful heart
• Give thanks to the Holy One
• Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

• And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
• Let the poor say, “I am rich
• because of what the Lord has done for us”

So, what’s this have to do with a blocked debit card???

Yes, it is an inconvenience — especially because the way banking works over here BOTH of us have to go IN-PERSON to the bank with our passports and passbook so that a new card can be issued. And yet I started thinking about all the things I could be thankful for…

• Because the appointment with my friend had been rescheduled, I “just happened” to be at my desk and saw the text as soon as it was sent.
• I found out IMMEDIATELY that a suspicious transaction had occurred.
• I was able to talk to a bank representative who spoke EXCELLENT English — and believe me, this is a HUGE blessing when living in another culture!
• She IMMEDIATELY blocked our card so that no more fraudulent transactions could occur.
• … and in the meantime, I heard from my friend that her dog is ok!

Learning to be thankful truly is the key to contentment. It opens our hearts to God’s presence and our minds to His thoughts. It enables us to see God’s grace and goodness in all our circumstances — even inconveniences like a blocked debit card! It opens our eyes to see all people as image-bearers of our Lord and Savior.

BUT… it’s impossible to be thankful and complaining or grumbling at the same time. The choice is ours — yours and mine.

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

Next week many Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. May it not only be a time of enjoying good food and fellowship with family and friends, but also a time to consider the many things for which we have to be thankful. And as we do that, we will have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life.”