So I am sitting here and playing games with my family, which is always fun. Now as I sit here I find myself thinking about life, odd right? Not really, spend a day in my head and it will make sense. I digress. So I am thinking about life and how we get to where we are. This leads me to the upcoming week of Thanksgiving.
What it’s about…
Now before anyone starts hollering about how we pillaged land and blah blah blah, let me say my piece. Yes this upcoming holiday stems from the pilgrims and Indians, but it is about more now. You see now we celebrate so much more, we celebrate what we are grateful for. As for me, I am grateful for so much.
The list?
The list will sound weird to quite a few. I am grateful for Salvation, I’m grateful for the forgiveness Christ gives us. I am grateful for my family and my friends who’ve helped the past few weeks. I am grateful that when I came to a split in the path of life God showed me the right path. Lastly I am grateful for the things I do not say thank you for each day. As I came to this realization I was deeply disturbed. I say thank you now for these things but I did not beforehand. This my friends is a problem.
The problem…
You see saying thank you to God for what I’ve been blessed with is important. Now if it is important why only once a year do we say it? For me it is because I get caught up in my day to day life, as we all do. The problem is that we need to say thank you for the things we already have, even when we’re busy. Sadly my generation has a rap for being impatient, and we also have a problem with being grateful. We want things now and in a lot of ways several believe we “deserve” them. Even though we don’t deserve them, and we need to work for them.
The solution…
This solution will sound easy, it’s not. We need to be grateful ahead of time for what we have, and for what may come to us. We don’t need to expect big things for no effort and we don’t need to take things for granite. The solution is all about change, and as we all know change is hard and it is tough. Now this change is well worth it in the end, and you will find that your day to day life changes as well.
The Challenge…
Say thank you and I’m grateful for the things you have already. Let us stop saying “I want” or “I need” and let’s say “show me what I…”. Let us ask for guidance and wisdoms instead of stuff and money. Again it sounds easy, but it won’t be. This is changing the way we think and the way we behave. It is changing a learned behavior. Take this challenge and run with it, push and be successful at it.
Wrap up…
In short this is a time of thanks, this is a time of gratitude, and appreciation. Let’s take some time and focus on the what is and not what can be. Take some time this week and enjoy your time with your families, friends, and neighbors.
And that’s how ya wind up all hat, with no cattle.