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By Tanya Wilson

In September of 1988, musician song writer Bobby McFerrin released the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1989, the song “Don’t Worry Be Happy” won Song of The Year, Record of The Year, and Bobby McFerrin won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

“In your life expect a little trouble, when you worry, you make it double; so don’t worry be happy!” It is a simple stanza in the song, but packed full of great advice.

I remember many years ago when I began my relationship with the Lord, I just knew that life was going to be sugar plums and gum drops and trouble would not cross my path, after all I was a CHRISTIAN!! God loves me right? So, I should experience His blessings more than trials and tribulations?

Wow, was I wrong! The truth is I probably went through more pain learning some hard lessons. At the time, I often asked, “what’s wrong with this picture, this is NOT what I planned.” But as I grew, I realized that my trials have served as my curriculum to becoming who I was created to be. I’ve learned there is power in my pain. My testimonies have allowed me to minister an “on time word” to someone else because I get it, I didn’t just read about it. I can encourage now as a subject matter expert, and I can serve as a live example that everything will be alright if you just hold on in faith. 1 Peter 5:10 promises that after we have suffered a little while, God will strengthen, establish and settle us.

In this time of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my trials. What I have come to understand is it is both necessary and essential to becoming who we need to be. Once I figured out that my trials were trying to tell me something, I learned to sit down, be still and listen. As I look back over my life, and wonder as the seasoned folks used to say “how I got over,” I realize that through it all, He carried me.

Times are tough for a lot of us these days. Jobs are ending or restructuring, loans for houses or cars are more difficult than ever before and the price of everything seems to be soaring. What makes me smile in the toughest of these times, and give true praise and thanksgiving, is not the turkey and dressing, or even the sweet potato pie; it’s all the entrepreneurs that have been born in this topsy turvy economy. I smile at all the people that thought they couldn’t make it if they didn’t have this or that, but have become resourceful even taking it back to the days of providing services for each other.

On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful that we have an opportunity to be pressed to the wall not knowing if to go to the right or to the left, but we have another chance to fall to our knees and cry out for the strength of the One that has the answer for our lives. We have another opportunity to step out on a faith that we were too timid to try when we were walking in the protection of what was thought to be security. Look around, you will see the shift. We are coming out bigger and badder than ever before. Without the crutches, we are learning where the real strength comes from. It was there all the time, sometimes it takes trouble times to push us where we should have always been. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tanya is an inspirational speaker and writer living in Charlotte. You can friend her on Facebook or email her at tw360you@aol.com. Read more columns by Tanya Wilson.

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