Craig Clouston

 Give Thanks

June 18

You are my God, and I will give you thanks.

Psalm 118:28

Hurricane Ike made his presence felt in the Ohio Valley. Four hours of seventy- to eighty-miles-per-hour wind gusts had resulted in widespread power outages and property damage across much of the Great Lakes Region. They had expected torrential rain, but high winds had come in its place. And now some two million homes across Ohio alone were without power.

Ralph had faired better than most, but he had sustained damage nonetheless. He felt that having to clean up tree limbs and debris was nothing compared to the problems faced by those along the Texas-Louisiana coast, especially those on Galveston Island, where there had been loss of life and catastrophic destruction.

Ralph’s compassionate heart battled a sense of guilt regarding his anxiety over the fuel cost of the generator keeping him and two of his neighbors up and running.

Many who hadn’t lost anything except power openly complained about the high cost of fuel to run their generators. Ralph tried to understand their complaints, but it was a struggle. He realized how blessed he was to have weathered the storm. And to that end, he continually gave thanks to God.

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Finding something to grumble about is easy. And sadly it comes a bit too naturally to a self-indulgent mind-set.

In a world filled with death and destruction, our hearts can become burdened to the point we see only the negative. Instead of a thankful heart for making it through the storm, we find ourselves asking God, “Why did You let this happen?”

Having a sense of entitlement can easily cause us to complain at the slightest inconvenience instead of declaring our gratitude for the things we do have.

Developing a grateful heart by giving thanks requires conscious effort if we’re not used to looking on the brighter side of life. But it pays dividends.

Praising our Creator brings encouragement to our soul. There is much good in our lives, and our attitude and mood improve when we acknowledge it. Learning to praise God through adversity changes us. It lifts us from discouragement to enlightenment.

Prayer

“When I get sidetracked by life, Lord, help me remember what’s important and where to focus my attention. Help me learn to be grateful more often than not. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”