Be Grateful Even When It’s Difficult

Once upon a time, in one of the islands of the Philippines, there was a young tree. It was the only tree in that island.

This lovely tree had long branches with leaves too many to count.

       It was a happy tree. It liked looking at the green plains below and the blue sea surrounding the island.

       But one day, the tree noticed that one of its leaves was turning brown. What was going on? This was the first time it happened. It never experienced it before. The tree began to panic.

Soon, more leaves became brown.

And then the impossible happened: One brown leaf snapped off its twig and fell to the ground.

The horrors!

Soon, more leaves fell. He counted them. Gasp! He couldn’t believe it. In one day, 6 leaves fell off from his branches. The next day, another 9 fell. The day after that, 12 more fell. On and on they kept falling.

He was losing so many leaves each day, he blurted out, “I’m dying!”   Everyday, with great anxiety, he stared on the growing mound of brown leaves gathering around His roots. 

He began to lose hope and wanted to end his life.

       That was when a bird flew by…

Three Messages From The Bird

The feathered creature perched onto one of the tree’s branches. The bird asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you so sad?”

       The tree said, “I’m dying.”

“Why do you say that?” the bird asked.

“I’m losing all my leaves! I’ve lost 94 already…”

        The bird was taken aback. “You don’t know do you?” He looked around and realized why. “You haven’t seen another tree in your life. You’re all alone here. My dear friend, what you’re experiencing is something that every other tree in the world experiences.”

“Huh?”

The bird smiled and said, “ I want to give you three messages today.”

“I’m listening,” the tree answered.

1) More Blessings Than Problems

“First, you say you’ve already lost 94 leaves. You count the number of leaves that you’ve lost. Count now the number of leaves that are still on your branches…”

The tree went about counting. “1, 2, 3, 4….” When he reached 300, he said, “I can’t count them. I have too many leaves!” The tree wasn’t crying anymore.

“Then you’re learning a very important truth. Remember that you’ll always have more blessings than problems. Problems seem more because you count them, you measure them, and you analyze them everyday. But when you count your blessings, you’ll realize that your blessings will outnumber your problems. Always!”

May I interrupt this story by another story?

I was reading about Roger Crawford. When he was born, he had a genetic defect. He was born without two hands and without a left leg. 

But despite his disability, he became a professional Tennis player in America. He became a champion?

How could he play Tennis without two hands and a left leg? I don’t know. But he did.

You see, Roger never complained, “Lord, why don’t I have hands and a left leg?” Instead, he said, “Lord, thank you for what I have. I have arms and I have one leg. What will you do with what I have?”

Roger didn’t bother counting the leaves that fell off his branches. He celebrated the many leaves that remained in his branches.

Let’s go back to my story…

2) More Space For New Blessings

The bird said, “Here’s my second message. I want you to look at your branches. Specifically, at the empty space where your leaves fell from. Do you see them?”

“Yes.”

“Are they really empty.”

“Yes, they’re empty. A leaf was there before…”

“Look closer,” said the bird, “because it’s not really empty…”

That was when the tree said, “Well, I see tiny leaves sprouting in the same place where my old leaves fell from.”

The bird nodded, “If your old leaves didn’t fall, there wouldn’t have been space for new leaves to sprout in your branches. If you want better things to happen in your life, some older things will have to go first.”

“I now understand,” the tree smiled.

Let me interrupt this story again and tell you that this is how life works.

Thank God for empty spaces in your life.

Perhaps a relationship ended this year. Perhaps a boyfriend left you. Thank God and believe that someone new, someone better, will be walking into your life.

Perhaps you lost your job this year. Perhaps your company folded up. Perhaps you were retrenched. Thank God and believe that you’ll get a better job and company very soon!

I remember two women whose husbands left them. Both of their husbands found another woman and walked out of their lives.

       Both were devastated.

       But both had a very different attitude. One followed the grumbling path and the other followed the grateful path.

       One woman cried, “My husband left me. My life is now over.”

       But the other woman said, “My husband left me. My life is just beginning…”

       Like this woman, don’t ever give up. Don’t say, “My life is over.” Say instead, “My life is about to begin.” Because new growth happens only if there are empty spaces in your life.

3) More Nourishment From Your Growth

The bird chirped, “And now for my last message. Do you notice what happens to your brown leaves?” the bird asked.

“They rot,” the tree shrugged, looking at the mound of brown leaves around its roots.

“Yes they do, but for a purpose,” said the bird, “because in due time, these rotting leaves will become part of the soil. These leaves will enrich you. Your roots will drink their nourishment. Causing you to grow and sprout more leaves…”

You Need Trouble To Grow

“Bo, I can’t be grateful for 2011. This was the year my husband left me.”

Or “This was the year our house burned down.”

Or “This was the year I learned I had cancer.”

Or “This was the year my father died.”

I understand. But the Bible says, Give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Yesterday, I was looking back at the year that passed.

I realized something very important. I realized that I grew the most not during the times when everything was smooth. Or the times when everything was going my way. I realized that I grew the most during the times when there was intense trouble. Intense pain. I grew the most when I was attacked from all directions and I couldn’t breathe anymore.

That’s when God stretched me.

I have one word for you about trouble: Get used to it.

Because trouble is the birthplace for your greatest growth.

       Be grateful for the blessings behind your trials.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

Take The 30-Day Challenge

Many years ago, I drove Dad’s car.

It was a sixteen-year old Mitsubishi Galant. I loved that car. But pretty soon, it was showing its age.   Soon, it was conking out on me. (I noticed that it would conk out on me whenever I thought of replacing it. When I told this to my friend, he said, “When you’re inside your car, never think about replacing it. Because your car can read your thoughts. Magtatampo yan. It will feel hurt—and malfunction more.” What can I say? God has blessed me with very strange friends.)

Each time I’d bring the car to the repair shop, the mechanic would fiddle under its hood, and after a day or two, I’d drive it off again. But after a week or so, something else will break down. (Yes, even if I tried shooing away thoughts of replacing the car.)

One day, I brought it back to the shop. This time, the mechanic opened the hood, shook his head, and said, “Bo, your car needs an overhaul.”

When I heard the word “Overhaul”, I wanted to faint. My entire life flashed in front of me. Because I knew that meant a gigantic amount of money.

He took out a piece of paper and wrote down a list of parts that needed to be replaced. He said, “Your engine is leaking. We need to replace the core of your engine.”

I closed my eyes, said a quick prayer for provision, and told him to do it.

One month later, when I picked up the car, it was like brand new. And I drove it for a few more years and thousands of miles.

Friend, is there an area of your life you want to overhaul?

Is there an area of your life you want fixed? Repaired?

This 2012, I’m praying that God will do a massive overhaul in your lives. I’m praying that God will make you brand new!

To experience a spiritual overhaul, you need four important elements: Purpose, Plan, Practice, and Produce. In the next four weeks, we’ll discuss each of these crucial elements.

And we’ll do something very special during this time…

Take The 30-Day Challenge!

In our 4-part teaching series entitled Overhaul, you’ll receive one of the most potent tools that you can use to change any habit or behavior in your life. The tool is called the 30-Day Challenge.

Perhaps you want to be a more affectionate spouse.

Or you want to remove complaining from your life.

Or you want to wake up earlier each day—so you can exercise, or pray, or write your journal.

Or you want to get rid of smoking.

Whatever change or new habit you want to acquire, the 30-Day Challenge can make it happen for you.

It’s All About Patterns

Haven’t you noticed?

Some people are always making money, while some people are always broke.

Some people are always on time, while some people are always late.

Some people always create happiness wherever they go, while some people create conflict wherever they go.

Some people always achieve their dreams, while some people never achieve their dreams.

Why?

It’s habits. Success and failure aren’t actions. They’re habits.

By the way, here are 7 Rules of the 30-Day Challenge.

Rule 1: Select One Habit

       Don’t try to change 19 things in your life.

       Just choose one habit.

       Choose something simple.

       Because it’s the simple things that will cause a massive difference in your life.

       Perhaps you want to complement your spouse every day for the next 30 days.

Or spend 15 minutes with your child daily for the next 30 days.

Or eat more veggies each day for the next 30 days.

I repeat: Pick one habit only!

       Whatever you pick, make a commitment to do it for 30 Days.

       Here’s the magic of this program: If you can make one change in January, you can change another habit in February, and then another one in March… Do you get the picture? That way, you could make 12 fantastic changes in 2012.

       Isn’t that awesome?

2. Aim For 30 Days

It’s got to be for 30 days.

If you miss one day, promise to go back to Day 1 and start over.

Why 30 Days? 

Two reasons.

First, because that’s what it takes to learn a new habit. According to psychologists, it takes 21 days to create a new pattern in your life. It takes 21 days to create a mental pathway in your brain, so that it becomes easier for you to do it.

So why not call it the 21-Day Challenge instead of a 30-Day Challenge? I don’t want to take chances. 21-Days is the passing mark. 30-Days is the honor mark!

Here’s the second reason why 30 Days only: It’s more doable.

 If someone tells you, “Can you read one hour a day for the rest of your life?”, that can be overwhelming. But if someone tells you, “Can you read one hour a day for the next 30 days?”

All of a sudden, it seems more doable. 

3. Do It Daily

Developing a new habit requires that you do it daily.

I repeat: You have to do it daily. Not 3 or 4 times a week. This is crucial. If it’s an activity that can’t be done daily, then try to choose an “alternate” activity that you can do at the same time. 

For example, if you hit the gym every 5pm to 6pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays—why not take a walk around your village at that same time on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday? That way, it’s still a daily experience.

4. Schedule It

Don’t just say, “I’m going to walk daily.”

Say instead, “I’m going to walk at 6AM daily.” That’ll be more powerful.

Don’t just say, “I’m going to make 20 sales calls a day.” 

Say instead, “I’m going to make 20 sales calls a day from 10am to 12noon.”

Doing this little tweak will quadruple your chances of sticking to the habit.

5. Replace It

Empty space doesn’t remain empty for long.

If you remove a bad habit, there’ll be an empty space in your life. If you don’t fill that empty space, the bad habit will come back.

So don’t just try quitting a bad habit. Be sure to replace it with a good habit. 

For example, if you want to quit watching telenovelas, what will you do during those three hours in the evening? Read a book? Learn a musical instrument? Start a business?

6. Study It

Study about the new habit you want to acquire.

Let’s say you want to be more grateful in the next 30 days. Then Google about gratitude. Read articles about it. Look for books on the topic. Talk to friends about the power of gratitude.

And finally…

7. Find Support

Surround yourself with people who already are doing your new habit.

If you want to exercise daily, get your friend or spouse who will do it with you. If you can afford it, get a Physical Trainer.

My friend used to smoke 3 packs a day. Her addiction was so bad, she’d wake up at 3AM just to smoke two sticks—and then she’ll fall back to sleep. Talk about an addiction!

But one day, she really felt it was time to cut the habit. She told me. She told her best friends. She told her Caring Group. (That’s what we call our small groups at the Feast, our spiritual gathering.) And we prayed for her. 

Recently, she texted me, telling me she’s been “smokeless” for 3 years now.

       Friend, go ahead. 

It’s your turn to make revolutionary changes in your life.

Next week, I’ll start talking about the first of the four ingredients of overhauling your life… “Purpose”

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez