Thank the Thankful

A warm blanket. A comfy couch. A candle or two. Some fun clothes. Some nice shoes. Some family food. A laptop. A tablet. An iphone (cause being American means you have the best). Yet we still find that we need more. I still find I need more and more. It never seems to be enough.

How ironic is it that we have Thanksgiving right before Christmas. I've never actually thought of it before. "Let's give thanks for what we have. Oh wait, we don't have enough, let's give each other presents, or more accurately, here's a list of things I "need"." We go from one extreme to the other in the matter of a month. So what does it mean to be actually thankful for what we have?

Having visited a handful of developing and 3rd world countries, the difference between being American and being Indian, for example, is beyond different. It's like dealing with people from a different planet. I have been in homes the size of my kitchen with dirt floors, a cot for a family of five, and no bathroom, yet the smiles and humility they have in comparison to the people I know, in comparison to me, is insane. There is no group of people more grateful then those I met in the Dominican Republic, in India, in Mexico. Yet I find that I live in plenty and am still discontent with what I have.

So what would happen if I didn't think about what I don't have and instead thought about what I do have. I have my health. I have my family who loves me. I have enough money to support myself month to month. I have friends and social skills and clothes and food in my fridge. I have so much, too much, in fact. I have drawers for my knick knacks, shelves for my books, hangers for my clothes. I have so much and I don't want anything else. I don't NEED anything else. Do you?

It's nearing Thanksgiving. Let's actually take the day to really acknowledge what we have instead of what we don't have. Let's sit in contentment and thankfulness for the day and truly remember why the holiday was created: to thank God for what He has provided us with.

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