A Lesson on Thanksgiving

I’d like to share with you how God taught me a fresh lesson on thanksgiving in recent days.

My day usually begins about 5am with me sitting in my recliner spending time with the Lord. Some time around 7am one of my children, usually Haddon, comes into the room. It’s not long until he will say, “Daddy, I’m hungry. Can you fix me breakfast?” I always reply, “Sure. Wait just a minute.” Then when I reach a stopping point, I’ll go prepare breakfast for both of them. It’s always a joy to do so.

Not long ago, Haddon and I started going through this same routine. However, this time would be much different. Haddon asked for breakfast, and I was up headed to the pantry to grab a box of cereal. Somewhere between my hand being on the doorknob of the pantry and on the box of Fruit Loops, the Lord struck me. It was a crushing blow that was good for me!

The Lord reminded me that I had returned from Myanmar recently. While there I learned that at least once every week, sometimes twice a week, Pastor Joseph has no food for his family, staff, students, and orphans. He has a little son too, whose name is Jedidiah. I imagined that in the mornings, Jedidiah comes to his father and says, “Daddy, I’m hungry. Can you fix me breakfast?” At least once or twice a week Pastor Joseph knows there is nothing “in the pantry” to reach for. I can see him taking little Jedidian into his arms, maybe rubbing his growling stomach, and saying, “Son, we’re not going to eat today. We’re going to pray and worship the Lord. Should the Lord see fit, we will eat tomorrow.”

I was hit with blunt force as I pulled the cereal box off the shelf. I have never had to tell my children that we were not going to eat that day. That’s not to say we haven’t seen some hard times. I’ve been known to stretch a gallon of milk way past the expiration date! I know what it is to wonder if I could buy groceries next week. However, there has never been a day that we didn’t have anything to eat at all.

I made sure that day to sit and talk with my children before they prayed their blessing. We talked about God granting us food, and that sometimes God may withhold such blessings. Some, like little Jedidiah, may not have breakfast today. I was able to share with them that we are going to be thankful for our bowl of cereal today, and should there come a day when we don’t have a bowl of cereal, we’re going to be thankful then too!

I poured those bowls of cereal in a different way that morning. I pray I never pour a bowl of cereal again without that same grateful attitude.

Be thankful today!