Thankful for the Hard

My Rosemary was born three weeks ago today!  I started writing out her birth story in my little mama-journal and realized how straightforward and really easy her birth itself was, but how much it was complicated by the following week when I ended up back in the hospital for three days with high blood pressure. Never having had any major health complications in my life, it was a scary time for me, and it has taken almost two weeks of being home on bed rest to actually believe that I am home to stay and won't end up in the hospital in the coming weeks.  Who knew that preeclampsia that was managed well during the pregnancy could spiral out of control following the birth?  I was aware that pre-eclampsia can take up to 6-8 weeks to resolve following delivery but thought I was out of the woods after she was born, just like with the other two sweet girls.  

I have been thinking about what it means to thank God in every situation, in - and for - every circumstance. Since I read Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts last year, I have practiced finding the gifts and the blessings even in the midst of hard things.  Practically speaking, this has usually meant focusing on the ways He is showing His love in the midst of the hard or seeing the good things that are coming out of the hard. Still trusting and acting on the belief that He is good to me even when I don't understand.

But what about thanking Him for the hard?  What about actually stopping and saying, "Thank You, Lord, for my high blood pressure"?  

I haven't really wrapped my mind around how to do that or why exactly it is important to wrestle with, but I feel certain that I need to ponder it more and look again at God's Word to see what I might be overlooking, especially as it shapes my journey with Him and with my little ones now.  

"Do you find [Sorrow and Suffering] to be very good guides, Much-Afraid?"
She looked at him earnestly and nodded her head.  "Yes, very good.  I never could have believed it possible, Shepherd, but in a way, I have come to love them. When I first saw them they looked so terrifyingly strong and stern, and I was sure that they would be rough with me and just drag me along without caring how I felt.  How I dreaded it, but they have dealt with me very, very kindly indeed.  I think they must have learned to be so gentle and patient with me by seeing your gentleness.
"I never could have managed without them, she went on gratefully..."  --From Hinds' Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Joining up with Lydia at Smalltown Simplicity for Mindful Mothering Monday