Do you ever take things for granted? I sure do and I thought it fitting that for Thanksgiving, I should not only reflect on the great and AWESOME things for which I am thankful, but for those little things.

I Thessalonians 5 says,

So… while I was praying and thanking God for the big things…like my family, my friends, a home, nice job, breath, food, you know the basics, a story from my childhood came to mind:

I was about six years old and I went with my mom to visit my great grandmother. She’d lived in this little, red house cradled in the hollow of one of the forests in Appalachia for as long as any of my family could remember. Black hair with streams of gray pulled back into a tight bun and clothed in floral gingham dresses, she dressed her words up with humor and a thick, mountain accent. We spent about three hours there…visiting, and it was about halfway through this visit that I had to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, Granny hadn’t moved into the 20th century with the rest of the world. She still lived in the 1800s…and so did her house. I was directed to the back of the house where a little, wooden shack loomed in the shadows of the forest.

Now, outhouses are weird enough for adults, but from the viewpoint of a 6 year old living in the early 1980’s, the ancient shack with an endless, dark hole disappearing into the ground, seemed as inviting as picking rocks out of the garden…wait, the rock-picking was more appealing.

Needless to say, my bladder grew three sizes that day and outlasted the trip 🙂 I was so grateful to get home and find the nice, 20th century, indoor-outhouse (as Granny called it).

Okay, so I digress, but the real heart of the matter, is that God calls us to be thankful in all circumstances and with His help, we can be. It’s not an easy calling, but if he’s asked us He is faithful to also equip us.

May we strive to be thankful in all circumstances because God holds us and will never let us go.