As
Americans, we take a lot of everyday things for granted. Things like water,
clothes, food, family, electricity, and freedom in this country I know that I
am guilty of taking for granted.
Last
week, our family experienced a power outage, as did a lot of you I’ve heard. ;)
I was unable to work on stories during the power outage due to the computer not
being linked to the generator, so I had some time to do deep thinking. :)
During the ten or so hours (seven of which were during the night) of power
outage, this thought for a Thanksgiving blog post came to my mind.
Have
you ever taken time to really think about all the things around you that have
been around you for as long as you can remember and thank God for each of them?
I’m going to do that in the blog post. This is for two reasons:
1) Because I want to remind myself of all the
things I have to be thankful of ALL THE TIME and
2) Because I’m hoping to inspire you all also to
be thankful to God for the basics.
So
here are some of the things I took time to thank God for that I have around me
all the time:
Water: Ok, so yeah. Without water we’d be dead right?
But also, I thanked God for giving us running water in our house. It’s always
so nice to be able to take showers whenever, and drink some cold, fresh well
water if we want to. Besides that, we use water to keep our dishes, house, and
clothes clean (I already mentioned the fact that we use water to keep ourselves
clean) and to make meals.
Clothes: Have you ever put much thought into each outfit
you put on in a given day? Maybe you’ve thought “Hmm, it seems to be really
cold this morning and I have to go outside today…probably leggings and a
sweater would be good to add to my outfit.” I know I have. Have you ever
thanked God for that outfit keeping you warm? Or a different outfit that keeps
you cool? I know that I’ll be doing that more often! :)
Food: Sometimes when a sibling turns their nose up at
a certain meal in our family we tell them “think of the starving children in
third-world countries! They would love to be eating that right now!” Sound
familiar? Often, we only say that to get them to eat their meal…but it’s a
statement that we should take a little more seriously. Thank God for not only
the food you eat (whether you like it or not) but also for your mom or older sisters
who make it for you!
Family: These people you have around you ALL THE TIME.
And they can get annoying. And sometimes you get frustrated, angry, or
disappointed with them. And you take them for granted. Don’t you dare! Family
is just like all those other things you have around you all the time: they may
seem like they’ll never change, or leave you, but they do. Whether it’s a job
that they have to travel to do, or if they get married and move away, or if
they die (which will happen eventually if it hasn’t already) they won’t be
around you forever. So you need to love them. A lot. And NOT take them for
granted.
Electricity: Nothing helps you appreciate your electricity
like a power outage. ;) You can’t cook your food, you have no running water,
your electronics have a limited battery life, your computer, printer, and other
electronics that plug into your wall can no longer be run. No typing out
stories until bedtime, no listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving
(:P), no taking showers. Yeah, electricity is something we should ever be
grateful to God for. Not everyone has the ability to enjoy it.
Freedom: Now, as the world around us appears to be
falling apart, sometimes we Christians suddenly realize that freedom to worship
God may not always be a part of our life here in America. But still, our
ability to come together with other believers more than once a week and pray
and listen to our pastor (in my case, my dad) teaches God’s word, is special.
Take advantage of this time before it’s gone. Be thankful for all your
Christian friends and church family. God gave them to you as a gift. Enjoy it
while it lasts. It may not be long before we’re also getting persecuted like
the vast majority of Christians around the world.
In
conclusion, I’d like to remind you one last time:
Thank God for the basics.
Have
a wonderful Thanksgiving!
