Posted by: Bethany
…I’m glad for what I have
It’s an easy way to start….
I’ve always liked that little song from Veggie Tales. And we all know it’s true, right? A thankful heart is a happy heart.
Then why is it so hard to be thankful?
I went to Winn-Dixie tonight. A mad rush trip right before church. Not exactly the best time to run to the store. (Every store down here is crazy post Katrina…) I suppose I thought everyone would be getting ready for church or something. Ha! It was very busy.
But no biggie. I’m certainly getting used to the madness around here…long lines, no parking spaces. I still thought I had enough time to get to church.
My cashier is a young teenage boy. Very friendly. He happens to have a $10.00 discount coupon he is scanning for all the customers. I see him scan the coupon for the couple in front of me. I assume it’s a $.50 off coupon or something (which I would be grateful for…let me tell you. I like coupons in all values!) When it’s my turn he tells me he’s gonna help me out a bit. He scans the coupoun and I look at the screen. To my utter amazement I have been discounted $10! Whoopie!
I gush out my sincere gratitude. Ten dollars! Wow! He stares at me…a bit in awe.
“I’ve given this discount to about 100 people today…and you are the first person who has thanked me,” says he.
“No way!” I exclaim. I’m shocked. I’m apalled. I’m horrified! A ten dollar discount is something to be grateful for. Don’t you agree? “Did they know what you were doing?” I inquire.
He then proceeds to explain to me that at first he assumed people didn’t know what he was doing. So he started telling customers he was taking ten dollars off their bill. He said he had just about decided to stop giving the discount because people were so ungrateful…but he just kept wondering how long it would take to get a thank you.
I’m still baffled. Then I’m rather smug…at my grateful heart. I mean hey, I’m pretty special. I was the one in a hundred who said thank you. I pat my pious back as I drive down the road conteplating the situation. *Er, hello Mr. Eighteen Wheeler, please don’t hit me.* I plan on blogging about just how ungrateful everyone else is while I seem to have things in the right perspective….(of course I was going to mask it somehow so that I didn’t sound so full of myself!)
Then I go to church. And my pastor puts a great big damper on my self-righteous thoughts…(he just so happens to be really great at doing that too!)
He speaks on how we act like we hate God. We don’t show appreciation for things. We are unthankful….
(I’m thinking of the situation before church and am congratulating myself on being thankful already today at this point.)
Then he explains….we eat food God provides…we wear clothing made by his materials…we live in houses built from his trees….
We go to jobs where we use skills he gifted us with…so we can take care of the families he blesses us with….
Marriage is his idea…families were his idea….
We’ve done nothing. And we tritely say a quick blessing as thanks before we eat and maybe in passing thank God for our family as we doze off to sleep and rarely give his provision another thought.
Ouch!
What has God done for me?
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And yes…I am thankful…
I really am. But do I show it? Am I living my life in gratitude…or do I take advantage of God’s blessings…food, shelter, clothing, my job, my family….my salvation…the sacrifice God made…for me-and for you-that cost so dearly?
I think it would do me good to become more grateful. To be more thankful. To have a thankful heart….not just to have a happy heart, but because God has done so much for me…and he deserves it!
I’ve done nothing to deserve the blessings I’ve recieved…including $10 off my grocery bill!
November 15th, 2005 at 12:01 am
A most excellent and thought provoking post, something we all need to be reminded of on a regular (daily) basis.
Thanks!
February 24th, 2006 at 7:25 am
ok . . . so you posted this months ago, but i found it in your “favorites” so i thought i’d take a peek.
thanks for sharing so candidly and reminding me there is SO much to be thankful for!!!!!!!!!
June 10th, 2006 at 8:21 am
[...] This may be a surprise, but my favorite posts to write are when I have thoughts to share about my Christian walk or family life. I post so much fluffy content or filler content that may not show on my blog. But I’m happiest with my deeper posts. I guess I’m just too lazy to do it often. If you want to see my favoirte posts from this blog, here they are! What do you think is your biggest strength blogwise? Biggest weakness? [...]
November 18th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
yeah..I agree. The only time i will write is when i have something to say about my family or something to do with religion.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
AigH! I thought you had stopped blogging in July (July 8th, the Blue Bell.) Any idea how to get to your “home” page?)