Sometimes I think that the idea that "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away - blessed be the name of the Lord" is mostly bleak. I instantly jump to the phrase 'takes away' and think, "Great. Now I have to come up with a way to have a good attitude when things get taken away from me. Grumble. Groan." but I don't stop to recognize that 'the Lord gives'. He also GIVES. I am not entitled to what I have. What I have (my health, my family, my home, etc.) are gifts from God. These are not things I have attained on my own power. My feelings of entitlement and pride need to be changed to gratitude and recognition of the one who gave these to me and that ultimately, they are His. That I would always say 'blessed be the name of the Lord' - no matter what, no matter the season, no matter the instance - is what I should strive for.
