When Life Makes You Look Up

When Life Makes You Look Up

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Here’s the thing we don’t really see how good we’ve got it until life yanks the rug out from under us. You wake up, stretch, grab a bite to eat, maybe scroll through your phone for a bit, and just like that you’re off, living another day. But did you even stop to notice? You’re breathing. Your heart’s doing its job. There’s food on the table. A roof above your head. And yet, we still find a way to complain.

When everything’s running smooth, we act like we’re in control, don’t we? Like we’re the ones pulling all the strings. But let something fall apart really fall apart and suddenly, it’s a different story. That’s when you stop pretending you’ve got it all figured out. When you hit rock bottom, there’s only one direction left to look: up.

I know this because I’ve been there. Knee-deep in the mud, watching life crumble around me like dust in the wind. And in that moment when there was no backup plan, no one left to call, nothing left to hold onto I found the Creator. Or maybe, I finally saw that He’d been there all along. Because belief is easy when life’s sweet. But knowing? That kind of faith comes when you’ve got nothing left but trust.

I didn’t realize how blessed I was to have my mother and grandmother until they were gone. Funny how hindsight hits like a punch to the gut. Their prayers were my armor prayers I didn’t even know I needed. My grandmother would hum while she prayed, her voice soft but steady, like a balm on an open wound. My mother’s hands rough, worn, always busy held a kind of love words could never capture. She gave until she had nothing left. And now, I’d trade anything for just one more moment with her. Just one more chance to say, “I see it now. I see you.”

That’s the lesson, though, isn’t it? We think we’re praying when we’re really just complaining. “Why me? Why now?” Meanwhile, someone somewhere is begging for the very life we take for granted. A job to hate. A body to ache. A family to fight with. Gratitude isn’t something you stumble upon after you get everything you want. It’s what you feel when you finally realize you’ve had enough all along.

But pride? Oh, pride will take you out. It’ll eat away at your spirit like rust on metal. And pride doesn’t care who you are rich or poor, old or young, faithful or faithless. It’s what brought Satan down, remember? Pride whispers lies like, “You did this all on your own,” and keeps you disconnected from the Creator who made it possible. And let me tell you something nothing good grows in a heart full of pride.

And still, here we are. Living in the “connected age,” but more disconnected than ever. We stare at screens like they hold all the answers, scrolling mindlessly, comparing our behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel. We chase validation from strangers instead of appreciating what’s real what’s ours. And in the process, we let envy blind us. We let noise drown out the still, quiet truth: we’re blessed beyond measure.

You don’t need to lose everything to wake up. You don’t need to hit bottom to start paying attention. Because life, as simple as it looks, is full of miracles. The fact that you’re still here, still breathing, still capable of love that’s enough. If you’ve got someone in your life who cares for you, who prays for you  whether you see it or not you’re richer than most people in this world.

The Creator doesn’t owe us anything. Yet, He gives us everything. The question is, do we notice? Or are we too busy complaining about what we don’t have to be grateful for what we do?

Sometimes, when life starts falling apart, it’s not punishment. It’s grace. It’s a chance to wake up. To see clearly. To stop the noise, to humble ourselves, and to look up. Because when everything slips through your hands, you’ll find that the One holding you is still there.

So pause. Breathe. Look around you. The big things, the little things recognize them for what they are. Gifts. Blessings. Miracles you didn’t earn but still get to enjoy. Don’t wait until it’s too late to be thankful. Don’t let pride steal your peace, or ego blind you to the truth.

Life doesn’t owe you a thing. But the Creator? He’s still giving. And as long as you’ve got air in your lungs, you’ve got a reason to say, “Thank You.”

So do it now. Before the mud hits. Before the shield falls. Thank Him. And keep your eyes open because blessings are everywhere, even when we’re too busy to see them.