Rejoice in God's blessings
Contributing writer
My pastor recently raised an interesting question. If we are not as grateful for our blessings as our ancestors were, is it because we have nothing for which to be thankful or because we have too much? Unfortunately, it is easy to become blasé about all the comforts and luxuries we enjoy and focus only on what we would like to have next.
My mother owned one "Sunday" dress. When it began to look shabby, it became her "second best" dress, which she wore to go into town to shop. A few house dresses made from chicken feed sacks completed her wardrobe, and she was perfectly content with that. I have so many clothes that some have been lying idly in baskets for months waiting to be ironed. Nevertheless, I occasionally get the comical notion that I "need" a particular kind of garment. Like many people in our relatively affluent culture, I am in danger of losing my parents' capacity to be content with very little and thankful for life's simple blessings.
The happiest day of my childhood — perhaps of my entire life — was my tenth birthday when I got a second-hand bicycle. In those post-World War II days, bicycles were very expensive, and I had assumed I would never have one. My two older brothers and my parents combined resources to obtain a good, second-hand bike, and I was ecstatic. Today's children, most of whom get their first bike at about the age of three, probably never know that kind of thrill or that kind of gratitude. When you have more toys than you can play with from infancy on, it's hard to get really excited about a new bike — let alone a used one.
Paradoxically, we sometimes appreciate our blessings more when times are hard. In the past few months, as I have been passing through a dark valley in my life, I have become increasingly aware of the rays of sunshine which reach me. The outpouring of love and support from friends and the awareness of God's care has made gratitude too small a word. When tragedy strikes, often we are all too quick to ask, "Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?" We seldom ask that question about good fortune, but recently it has often been in my mind. "God, what did I ever do to deserve friends like Autumn Chisholm, Madeline Stuive, Jesse Brunner and several dozen others?"
One of the eeriest and most comforting blessings has been receiving money anonymously through the mail. This began when I was financially at my lowest ebb. It was as if God reached down and told me, "See, I haven't forgotten you. I know exactly what you need, and I've inspired someone to provide it." Cash has continued to arrive at frequent intervals. Recently I've tried to let my friends know I am not in as dire a situation as I was a few months ago, but the money keeps coming. Although I now would be eating and keeping warm without it, it is a reassurance for which I am very grateful.
We all know the story of the "first Thanksgiving," when the pilgrims and the Indians joined in a modest feast to celebrate their blessings. We know this event was not during a time of ease and affluence, but after a year of such hardship that many of the settlers had not survived it. What were they thankful for? For enough to eat. For a new country where they could worship as they chose. For the friendship of the Indians who were teaching them survival skills. God's simplest blessing.
Surely when we sit down to an overladen table in our warm houses and eat until we need to loosen our stout clothing, we should be at least as thankful as those struggling pilgrims. But are we? Do we get to thinking we have earned all our blessings and really deserve more — a higher salary, a larger house, a better car. The list can go on and on.
To cultivate gratitude and to be truly happy, we need to quit whining about what we lack and focus on all we have and rarely appreciate. Every breath we take is a gift we did nothing to earn. If we have reasonably good health, that is a boon we could never buy. If we have the love of family and friends, we have a blessing beyond price. Unlike people in many parts of the world, most Americans have enough to eat, a roof over their head which doesn't leak and at least a few clothes which aren't patched. Praise God for all that. Not only do we owe Him thanks, but shifting our attention to the positive may make us happier than we have ever been.
Saint Paul said, "I have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." Not only content, but grateful. It is a lesson well worth learning.
