Do you know where Shungnak, Alaska is?
I did not. I knew that it was very far north and that the pictures reminded me of Brumunddal, Norway, where I grew up. I know where it is now. Carl Boley writes a blog from his adventures these days as a first year teacher in Shungnak (he’s also on Facebook). He shares fascinating insights of how life functions in this remote Alaskan village that you can get to only by plane or sled.
His last two posts really caught my attention. When the dark time settles in up in the very far north, it is easy for “emotional darkness” to reflect the physical conditions. People really battle depression. Alcoholism and suicides are common. In Carl’s November 24 post, although the deep darkness and cold were still intensifying, he chose to list things that he was thankful for. What a post! He skillfully picked seven things for which he expressed gratitude.
Listing Things You are Thankful for
After reading Carl’s post, I was so encouraged and challenged! I could feel hope and warmth even though I know that circumstances are getting even more difficult – the high tomorrow is -28F!
This was such a good reminder. My circumstances can have two reads: I can read the cold darkness and be as accurate as a thermometer, or I can choose to think thanks in the same situation, finding the warmth and light, and by finding it, magnifying it.
Although the simple, childlike activity of listing things I am thankful for doesn’t seem earth-shattering, it can actually shatter my earthly perspective and reveal God’s treasures amidst the ghostly shadows and acrid dust. The God who is sovereign in every detail of my situation has provided a way of escape for me to handle difficult things. I can choose to think thanks, and then I can choose to express it to Him and to others.
Th(i)nkful: a determined choice to download grace/strength from the Lord to think thanks about every circumstance that comes my way and express that thanks orally or in a written form
Check out Carl’s Blog at: Boley in the Bush Blog.
th(i)nkful 