Be Thankful: Gratitude Check

All around us are alarming stories of tragedy and of loss, but have we become so desensitized to death and loss?

Television reports of mass murders, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, police shootings, missing children, carjackings, home invasions, murder suicides, and other tragedies show us what’s happening in the world BUT have you stopped to think about the people affected by these tragedies?

Have you taken a defensive stance against protecting your life, limb, and home without really reflecting on the impact such a tragedy would have on you and the ones you love?

Take for a moment to look around and take an inventory of what you have... where will you start?

Is it your house? Your car? Your family? These are the most obvious things for which we are thankful, yet we still often fail to show appreciation to others in our family.

When was the last time you woke up and thanked God for your house or your car, your spouse, or your child?? Some of us operate in gratitude and continuously give thanks for all things and for everyone. The sad fact is that the closest we are to our last close call or our last loss- the more gratitude we express.

Now let’s examine even further our gratitude.

Have you ever been thankful for your bed? After a long hard day at work and driving home in the rain, people often say they can’t wait to get home to their beds. What about a regular day? What if something happened that caused you to lose your house? What if your home was blown away? Would you miss your bed and all of your other belongings that were blown away with the force of the wind or flooded beyond repair?

There are many people who pray for what you have.

You name it, someone is praying for it right now. The child that causes you so much stress, the wife who keeps nagging you to build that swing, the husband who alwayss misses the basket when he throws his work clothes on the floor.... I can go on.

There is someone praying for the love and companionship of a spouse. There are also those mourning the loss of children and spouses to senseless acts of crime; even suicide and illness have taken people away from those who love them.... we often hear “tell your family you love them while they are still alive” (and you are too).

May we translate that also into give God thanks and praise for the people in your life- no matter how challenging?

People are quick to make jokes about those less fortunate.

Some pick on people who love in trailer parks. Some pick on people who sleep on air mattresses, but what if you found yourself in the middle of a tragedy, attempting to put all the pieces together? Imagine looking at the rubble that used to be your home and wondering where you will lay your head. Even if you found yourself fortunate to stay in a hotel, because you were loaded with insurance and savings, would you still miss your bed, your house, and all of your belongings?

 Have you thanked God for those things?

Take a moment to write out a list of everything you could lose in the blink of an eye......


Now. Give God praise for each of these things. Vow to never again make fun of or judge another based on what they do not have. You could be next.

God works in mysterious ways.

Be thankful. Practice gratitude..