The wise advice from sources as varied as Mom and God Himself tell us to be thankful. But for what, exactly, does this apply?
In her thought-provoking book entitled “One Thousand Gifts”, Ann Voskamp makes the observation that to simply say I’m thankful for everything is to actually be thankful for nothing. She accepted a challenge, therefore, of listing at least one thousand specifics for which to express gratitude. Ann included items like colored bubbles in soap suds. Personally, I’m not that poetic, but I get the point.
Being thankful for everything is frankly difficult for me. Hunger, war, disease, poverty … they just don’t seem to deserve appreciation. (Though I must heed the scriptural command to find reasons to give thanks if ever I face such horrible circumstances.) There are, however, many thousands of gifts in my life that make me truly grateful.
I’m much – very much – obliged.
I do my share of complaining, God knows. The world is a messy, turbulent, overcrowded place that often rubs me the wrong way. I see too many daily examples of people being selfish, dishonest and cruel. But I also see the good things in my world. Camaraderie and accomplishment at work. Love and peace at home. Sports, music, food, wine, friends, family. Sunrise runs and sunset stories of the day with my wife. And each new day, the chance to walk the path of spiritual growth. I thank God for all of that. And so much more.