Be Thankful

The things I have learned to be thankful for:

If you have a car... be thankful

If you have a roof... be thankful

If you have any money in a savings account... be thankful

If you have more than just condiments in your refrigerator... be thankful

If you have supportive friends... be thankful

If you have an actual bed to sleep on... be thankful

If you have a supportive family... be thankful

If you have a job... be thankful

If you have enough strength to get through your daily REQUIREMENTS... be thankful

If you had enough to eat today... be thankful

If you have electricity... be thankful

If you have a safe neighborhood... be thankful

If you are not in fear of losing your roof... be thankful

If you've ever had enough to be able to bless another... be thankful

If you've never had a Christmas without presents... be thankful

If you've never had a Christmas without a tree... be thankful

If you've never had to pray your child will heal on their own because you couldn't afford a doctor... be thankful

If you have ever been able to take anything you have for granted... be thankful

There are so many more things we could add to this list - every day common things we just skip right past but that really affect people all around us:

If you've never been abused... be thankful

If you have more than dirt floors... be thankful

If you're children didn't have to be sold as slaves... be thankful

If you've never experienced addiction or incarceration... be thankful

If you've never known unexpected job loss or eviction... be thankful

We want to believe that somehow it is because of our own wonderfulness and intelligence and hard work that we've been able to avoid these things. But the truth is - it's by GRACE.

There is no way for us to protect ourselves from the pitfalls and tragedies of life and to think we somehow did and that those 'less fortunate' simply need to be 'more like us' - is presumptuous and rude.

Be thankful - and discover a different level of content and joy. None of us makes it entirely on our own. And recognising all the ways we've been blessed or helped along the way - recognizing how little control we really have, makes us appreciate all that we have just that little bit more.

And it allows us to have more acceptance and generosity towards those around us that are still learning the life lessons we have mastered. For only our assistance will help them reach new levels - not our rejection or judgementalism or declarations of how we got it all figured out.

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