And Thank You For The Butter...

In our culture we talk a lot about being thankful. We strive to be appreciative of what we have and even set aside a day for it. 

Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving is not exactly a true celebration of the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth in 1620. Nor is it a true representation of the reported celebratory dinner shared by the English Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621. 

Thanksgiving has come to mean different things to different people: A day or two off of work or school, a home cooked family meal, football, or the start of the Christmas season. 

In truth, we should be giving thanks every day. 

For everything.

When our daughters were young, like many other parents, we gave our girls the opportunity to pray. We all took turns praying at the evening meal. Allison, our oldest was articulate at an early age and was always ready to pray. Our youngest, Kendall offered simple, sweet prayers for the food…if it was something she liked. 

But it was Danielle, our middle daughter who taught us about being thankful for all we had. We would gather around the table, hold hands and bow our heads. Danielle would begin her heartfelt prayer. “Thank you, God for the chicken and the mashed potatoes and the corn.” Specific and pretty good for a six-year-old. But she didn’t stop there. Her prayer went something like this:

Danielle: Now She's a "Fisher" of a Different Sort
Bringing People to Know Jesus

“Thank you, God for the chicken and the mashed potatoes and the corn. And thank you, God for the salad and the dressing and the butter and the salt and the pepper. And thank you, God for the plates and the forks and the knives and the spoons and the cups. Oh! And thank you, God for the napkins and for mommy and daddy and Allison and Kendall.”

I am not joking. If we hadn’t cleared our throats or squeezed her hand, she would have continued to thank God for the table and chairs and everything else in sight. 

In sight. We quickly learned Danielle would open her eyes and pray for everything she could see. 

Danielle was right to thank God for everything. We take having a clean plate for granted. Butter? Not everyone has it. Napkins? In some circles, napkins are a luxury item. 

This is a season to recognize we have much to be thankful for…then again, every day is the right time to give thanks. 

For everything.

And For Your Entertainment I'm sharing this video from Forest Hill Church in  North Carolina called "Christmas Presents." Another reminder to be grateful for EVERYTHING! CLICK HERE