The rain, a blessing to the farmer but a curse to the builder, what then shall God do when the farmer prays for rain and the builder for a bright day

Life is a journey filled with events, goals, dreams, and pain. We are birthed into this very distasteful world with one sure destination, Death. Death provides the value we call life, but then can something be valuable yet hurtful and full of suffering? why do we celebrate the birthing of a child knowing that life isn’t a joyful place, at worst full of pain? Why do we mourn when people leave this ruthless place called life in Death and proceed to rest in peace, the peace that life itself cant provide?

Imagine life as several pieces coming together to make a whole, then appreciate the part that is doing well and great while hoping to fix the other pieces that aren’t so great. Life constitutes family, health, career, love, friendship, suffering, pain, and ultimately Death.

So when examining your life, what appears to you first? Your failures or your abilities to try again? or your annoying parents, or the fact that you have parents that genuinely care for you? What exactly is your focus? The fact that your boss at work hates you or that you have a job that puts food on the table? Let’s step low a little, you have no job, but you got great family and friends, you are in good health; should they all go to hell because you are failing in one domain of life? Is life not worth living?

You set goals and didn’t meet them, and you are sad? It could be worse, man! It is possible not to have goals; you won’t be sorry about not meeting them. Life is hard; if you try to reach your goal, if you genuinely try to reach them and don’t, okay ?? what next? Hate yourself? No, it could be worse.

Your relationship is failing, okay? What do you say to the lady with three kids and no responsible father or husband? “I wish I had a perfect love life.” Okay? Are you in excellent health for anything? Isn’t that something worth celebrating? Will you exchange that for anything?

Gratitude isn’t just appreciating what you have; it is you knowing that it could be worse but isn’t. It is knowing that your life could be worse than it is now. It is knowing that while you hope for great things, you can descend to the valleys of life. Gratitude isn’t comparing yourself with someone lower than you ( whatever that means ); it is comparing the actual realities with a hypothetical feasible disaster. 

Life must be lived with goals and aspirations, as we climb up the ladders of life, the deeper the depth we can fall, so we must look down the valleys of life to remind ourselves that while the peak of life is the goal, the valleys is a place one can possibly be in. 

Maybe the job you so dearly want may take you away from your family; perhaps it will take your time and mind away from friendship and relationships. Perhaps the zenith of life is plagued with loneliness and lack of warmth. 

Maybe the house cat should appreciate the warmth of human care rather than hope to be a lion without love and care and whose life is plagued with hunting. Perhaps there is great utility in appreciating being a cat than wishing to be the king of the jungle. The Lion may scare a thousand sheep, it may rule the jungle, but it is also at risk to be killed by the hyenas and animal’s poachers; it also has to think of the next meal. Maybe the house cat is perfectly fine being a cat. This isn’t to say that one shouldn’t aspire to be the greatest, but there is utility in gratitude at whatever stage in life.

Maybe the rain isn’t a curse for the builder because what strength will he have to build without food from the farm.