The Productive Muslimah

Everythings Gone wrong....

Her life was falling apart before her very eyes.
She spoke to me about the catastrophes that
she was going through-slammed with one trial
after another. "Nothing is going right," she had
told me that night, "Nothing." And I had to admit
her life was rough. Things looked like they kept
going from bad to worse in her life. There was
no light at the end of her tunnel, not even a
flashlight in her tunnel for her to carry, at
least at first glance. But the truth is, there was
plenty of light in her life, even it was not
apparent to her nor to me at first glance. And
this is the truth for all of us going through
hardships. We just need to know where to look.
Often times in our lives we go through
hardships and we begin to believe that
everything is going wrong in every portion of
our lives, but the truth is, that is the farthest
thing from the truth. God has gifted us with
many different blessings that can only be seen if we turn
a grateful eye to these things and acknowledge their
truths. Just like when one is in love, they only see the
good, when we are in hardship we tend to only see the
bad, and that only furthers our feelings of helplessness
and despair.
Take, for example, the simple blessings of life that we
experience every day, like the blessing of hot water.
People in many places around the world don't have the
convenience of turning on their faucets and having warm
water come out on the coldest of days. Don't think it's
much? Try waiting for a cold day, turn off your heater
and take a cold shower. Now imagine having to do this day
in and day out without a choice? Imagine having to make
wudu' (ablution) every morning at fajr (morning prayer) in
freezing cold water. Imagine how much irritation that may
bring. And then thank Him for the blessing He gave us that
we often take advantage of without thinking twice.
Another example is that of our kitchen stove, that turns
on at the click of a button. Imagine not having that stove
of yours in your kitchen. Imagine not being able to cook or
warm your food with ease. Imagine having to, on a daily
basis, walk outside and build a fire, perhaps gathering
wood first, in order to feed yourself and your family. It
would be tough, wouldn't it? But how many times have we
stopped and thanked God for our stove-tops and turn-knob
buttons?
Lastly, but definitely not least, take a moment and think
about your nose (YES your nose!). Have you ever stopped
to think about what life would feel like if God had not
gifted you and blessed you with a nose? Have you thought
about how difficult it would be to enjoy food? We would not
be able to enjoy the smell of baking cookies in the oven, or
the smell of sweet perfume. We would not be able to smell
the flowers as we walked past, or smell a yucky smell that
warns us of something in our vicinity. But have we ever
stopped to thank God for what He has given us regardless
of our ingratitude.
These are just a few examples of the lights that God has
gifted us that we graze over on a daily basis, though we
never forget to dwell on (what seem like) misfortunes. We
think that everything is going wrong, but really what is
going wrong is our lack of perception of all of those things
that are going right. So next time you feel stuck in a dark
hole with no light in sight, don't simply just wait for the
light at the end of the tunnel; turn on your own flashlight
by pinpointing the daily gifts that our Lord has gifted us
and actually being happy that you have them and actually
take the time to thank Him. He has already filled our lives
with His Love and His Light, if only we take the time to
open our eyes and realize it....