It’s been said that the world can be divided into two groups, those who say, “Thank You” and those who don’t.
An elderly New England clergyman who touched upon the various degrees of gratitude in his prayer: “Oh Lord, as you know very well, here we are again. We are here to do one of the hardest things any mortal can do–to give thanks and really mean it.”
What do you have to be thankful for?
Pastor Alan Smith tells the story of two old friends who bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears.
His friend asked, “What has the world done to you, my old friend?”
The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear.”
“Sounds like you’ve been blessed.”
“You don’t understand!” he interrupted. “Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million.”
Now he was really confused. “Then, why do you look so glum?”
“This week . . . nothing!”
Blessings come in many guises,
Blessings that are taken for granted
Blessings that are experienced and not recognized.
Blessing we recognize and appreciate.
The blessings of God are received daily.
Do we take similar attitudes towards our blessings?
This week, O Hum!
We can be thankful in all the conditions and circumstances of our lives.
Though David was only four years old, he often asked the blessing before family meals, and this year he was asked to return thanks before Thanksgiving dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation.
He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one.
Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles.
Then he began to thank God for the food.
He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip.
Then he paused, and everyone waited — and waited.
After a long silence, the little David looked up at his mother and asked, “If I thank God for the broccoli, won’t He know that I’m lying?”
Conditions and circumstances are pet expression of mine.
We do not thank God for the conditions and circumstances.
These are the result of living.
You cannot escape them, whatever them is.
We can be thankful during the conditions and the circumstances.
Praise, Gratitude, Thankfulness is the antidote for the holiday blues, and the dark days that come to us.
Obviously, you must work at it.
I was listening to a sermon by Dr. Arthur Caliandro, Senior Minister, Marble Collegiate Church, New York City.
He used an illustration that strongly makes this point.
He discovered this story of a Cherokee elder teaching his grandchildren some important lessons they would need to understand in order to have a good life.
“A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil — he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, greed, regret, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority and ego. The other is good — he is love, peace, benevolence, joy, generosity, hope, humility, serenity, kindness, friendship, empathy, truth, sharing, compassion and faith.”
“This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”
[The grandchildren] thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Wonderful picture… Which of the wolves will win — the good one or the evil one? The one that you feed.
I will give thanks with a grateful heart.
This feeds the good wolf.
This feeds the right spirit.
I had and still have many questions. I discovered a quotation from Anselm of Canterbury that is used on my personal stationary. “For neither do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order that I may understand.”