I make it a habit to render thanksgiving to God daily. But sometimes you have those experiences that help you realize how we tend to take many of God’s blessings for granted. In one instance, I was at a store in line waiting for my turn to be attended to by the cashier. As I waited, a man entered the store and came in my line of sight near the cashier. This man was blind and had a dog to guide him.
He told the cashier he needed some assistance to pick out some office supplies. The cashier asked the man which items in particular he needed so she could determine which section of the store he needed to go to. He replied that he needed things from several areas in the store. And so the cashier called for an employee to come and assist the blind man.
As he and the employee proceeded to shop in the store, I was convinced this was going to take a while. Then I thought about myself. I had come into the store, selected several items, and in five minutes I had finished shopping and was ready to check out.
How often do I go through my day, taking it for granted that I can see and need no one to lead me around to do the simplest tasks? The truth is that when I offer thanksgiving to God, I don’t thank Him for my sight as often as I should.
In another instance, I went to the hospital to see a friend whom I used to pastor. This lady was in her sixties. She was a strong person of faith who had spent her life feeding the poor and homeless and helping those in need. But her health had taken a nosedive during the past few months.
When I entered the hospital room, she had just finished trying to feed herself. While I was there, she tried to reach for something to drink that was on her dinner tray. But her hands trembled so badly, she couldn’t grab the glass. I picked it up and positioned the straw in her mouth so she could drink.
I thought to myself, thank God that I am blessed with health. Believe me, the mere ability to feed ourselves is a blessing.
I almost always start my prayer time with praises to God and thanksgiving before I make any petitions for anything. But what these two encounters did for me (or to me) was to help me more deeply appreciate these two areas in which I am blessed. And I can expand the impact of that experience to many other areas of my life where my thanksgiving should come from a deeper place in my heart.
God has blessed us in many ways that we think little about. Let us not take any of our blessings for granted. Sometimes, God helps us in this area by bringing us face to face with those who lack what we have.
In prayer, we should think on our blessings more intimately. As we go through our day and we are reminded about an area in which we are blessed, we need not wait until we get home to thank Him. Rather, let us do it then and there. Consider what the psalmist said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
Some Blessings Not to Take for Granted
Most of us have the big things covered in our thanksgiving. Here are just a few things we should be mindful not to take for granted.
The breath of life (Psalm 150:6)
Our daily provisions (Matthew 6:31-33)
Waking up another day (Psalm 3:5)
Daily protection (Psalm 91:10-11)
This list is in no way complete. In fact, I am only scratching the surface. Can you think of a couple of God’s blessings you tend to take for granted that you can add to this list?
Frank King is pastor of the English-speaking congregation at the Hinesville Korean Full Gospel Church, 758 Tupelo Trail, Hinesville, GA, 31313.