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 sev-
enty- 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 none-theless.
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 com-
plaints, 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 natu-
rally to a self-indulgent mind-set.
In a world filled with death and destruction, our hearts can become bur-
dened 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 slight-
est 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 discour-
agement 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.”
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