The Season To Be Thankful!

Our church, Crossroads, has been doing a series called "Gimme, Gimme." Our pastor, Brian Tome, along with the entire community at Crossroads has been examining how a sense of entitlement can creep in and poison our lives, and how gratitude can provide the antidote to prevent this.

This series has truly hit an accord with Matt and me, especially at a time when we WANT to sell our house. The past few Sunday's we sit with our coffee and Diet Coke (something we are certainly "entitled" to, right?) in hand and listen to Brian Tome give examples of how human beings from the start of time have felt entitled. It is not just an American problem, it is a human being problem! And I am certainly not immune to this issue. I have been WANTING so desperately to sell our house. We have lowered and lowered the price, done some little touch-ups, yet no one has purchased it. We are a bit distraught by this because we feel we "deserve" to move to a bigger and better house. Right? Why is this? Why is my cute little house not good enough for me? Maybe it's because I would like Caroline to have more space. Maybe it is because I want to have another child someday and don't want to have our kid's share a room. Maybe it is because I want to be in a more family oriented neighborhood. Maybe it is because I want to be just like that family so many of us strive to be...The Jones'. This Series has truly put some thing's into perspective for me. Yes, I want to move, but is it truly something I HAVE to do? NO. I think we have felt "entitled" to have more, but do we need it? NO.

Our Society has become one of "I WANT," "I DESERVE," "GIMME, GIMME." This is evident when you think of our country's financial crisis. People are in more debt now than ever before. If we can't afford something we want, hey, that's okay, we'll charge it and pay for it some other day. This is the reality of so many lives. We expect to have anything and everything and forget to be the slightest bit gracious for the very basic things that we do have.

Brian Tome gave a great example today, he brought up the fact that gas is pretty inexpensive at the moment. I saw it for $1.79/gallon a few days ago. Of course, you don't hear the news talking about this right now. However, a few months ago when the gas was hitting an exorbitant amount of $4.00/gallon this was one of the lead stories every day. It's amazing to me that when we get what we want we don't express gratitude for it, but when we don't get what we want, we complain nonstop. This idea that we are entitled to have everything is truly absurd. Why can we not just be thankful for that which we do have?

Last Sunday, Brian Tome asked everyone to write down things that we are thankful for in our lives and put those thoughts in a can (or box, or whatever you want to put them in). He then said that we should take those thoughts out on Thanksgiving and read them aloud before we eat our Thanksgiving dinner. What a great idea, I know! All too often we forget to recognize the many gifts we have been given in this life. God has truly provided for us more than we deserve. I would like to honor Him with my thoughts of gratitude.

When I started thinking about all that I am thankful for, I realized my list could go on and on and on... That which I have is worth much more than that which I think I am entitled to. I urge you all to consider writing down your own thoughts of gratitude and thanks and perhaps reading them aloud at your Thanksgiving table. Here are some personal examples of things I am thankful for, which God has so graciously provided for me:

• My health
• My best friend and husband, Matthew
• My healthy and happy little girl, Caroline
• My loving and selfless parents, Bob & Kathie
• My intelligent and humorous brother, Scott
• My Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and Grandparents, who have illustrated to me the importance of family and heritage
• My in-laws, who have helped me recognize the importance of varying opinions and the ability to love another family like my own
• My friends, who have taught me to love, share, support, admire and most importantly, to have fun :)
• My dog, Nate, who has taught me to be patient and kind no matter what surprises he has in store for me
• My creative ability (it's hard to give yourself complements, so writing this is difficult :) )
• My experiences in foreign countries and other states, where I have enjoyed learning about other cultures and ways of living
• My experience running the Chicago Marathon, as a member of Team in Training
• My coworker, Mary Jo, who has taught me the importance of varying opinions as well as given me even further insight into the life of someone with Type 1 Diabetes. She had a kidney and pancreas transplant as a result of complications from Type 1 Diabetes (something I hope my husband will NEVER have to experience)
• Insulin, for without this drug, my husband would not be here today
• Living in a country where we have "free-will" and "freedom," something that should never be taken for granted
• Crossroads, a place that has truly inspired me to have a stronger relationship with God and has helped me recognize the importance of serving God as well as serving others
• My car, my home and my clothes...all which are above and beyond what I truly need, but give me comfort and security...and sometimes allow me to look nice at parties! :)

These are just some of the MANY experiences I have been bless to receive. Hopefully, I will continue to realize the importance of giving thanks and recognize that instead of always feeling entitled, perhaps having a attitude of gratitude would be more worthwhile.

If you would like to share your experiences of gratitude, please feel free to leave a note in the comments.