Why should I be thankful?
This has been quite a tumultuous year for my family, many of my friends and for my country. There have been friends and family members pass away, job losses, major moves and a very heated presidential election. So, I asked myself today: Why should I be thankful when so much chaos is swirling around me and so much pain lingers in this world?
God gave me a very clear answer today as I took my son and niece with me to visit a woman and her two young granddaughters. We knocked on the door of the apartment and the woman opened the door with a sincere smile on her face. I introduced ourselves before she warmly welcomed us into her small, dark apartment. Her two granddaughters came into the living room shyly as we placed several gallons of cider and two pies on her kitchen table. It wasn't much, but I could tell by their expressions that this was more dessert than they had seen in a while.
We chatted for a few minutes and then kindly wished them a Happy Thanksgiving before saying our goodbyes. I could tell the young girls wanted my niece to stay and play with them; I felt bad that we had to go run more errands. We gave several hugs and walked back to our car.
I held the tiny hands of my son and niece as we walked to our car; my heart burst with empathy seeing the struggle and pain in the eyes of that woman and her granddaughters. As we got in our car and drove away, I mumbled with tears in my eyes, "Oh Lord, help me to never complain or take anything for granted. Help me to never forget the people in this world who need hope."
I'm not saying all this toot my own horn or say that I'm a saint because I actually didn't want to visit that lady today in the midst of my busy schedule of errands, but I do want to bring our minds to a place of introspection. This week amidst the busy schedules, endless dishes of delicious food and greedy dashes for big shopping sales, I think we need to first remember how blessed we truly are. There are millions of people, even here in the United States, struggling to keep their electric on and buy a gallon of milk for their babies. There are millions of lonely people who have no one to call or visit this Thanksgiving. There are countless families who will not have a turkey or much to eat.
We should not feel guilty for the ways God has blessed us, but we should also not assume that we are any better than the person who has nothing. Instead, we should look for ways to give and bring a little bit of hope to those who are around us, even right next door.
Jesus said, "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did this for the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing for me!'" (Matthew 25:40 NLT)
Take time today to think of the ways you are thankful and how you can step outside your comfort zone to bless someone else. It may change a life forever.
