Thanking God for Everything!

Back in 1970 Lynn Anderson released a recording of a Joe Smith song “Rose Garden.” It contains the line, “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine there’s gotta be a little rain sometime.” When Ms. Anderson was interviewed about the popularity of the song she said, “I believe that 'Rose Garden' was released at just the right time. People were trying to recover from the Vietnam years. The message in the song — that if you just take hold of life and go ahead, you can make something out of nothing — people just took to that." I think she was talking about how to handle disappointments and discouragement in life. I have never really had it bad. I am among the most privileged people in the world. I am a white male of the middle class with an advanced degree and I live in the United States. I have had quality health care, dental care and education all my life; I have had all my shots and had access to good clean water all of my days. I have never wanted for shelter, love or companionship. I get 30 days of paid vacation a year and have the resources to spend it in places like Disneyland. I have a family without major problems and a wife who for some reason loves me even after 29 years together. I am the envy of billions of people and have nothing really to complain about. I am blessed. Now you would think that all that would somehow guarantee my happiness. You would wonder how I could ever feel disappointed or discouraged. You would think it impossible that I would sometimes find my life lacking. You would doubt how I could ever feel short changed or unloved or sorry for myself. You would question my sanity if I were to talk about being dissatisfied. You would speculate that I was not paying attention if I were to moan and bemoan my life. You would find it unimaginable that I would think I desired more. And you know what, you would be right. But still I do feel these ways at times. When I am dodging the curveballs of life I sometimes slip and fall into the pit of self-pity and despair. I sometimes do feel that life is out of control and I am a victim of forces to great to manage. And now it’s time for the truth. I feel these things, these ways. My feelings are valid. But when I feel life is too hard it isn’t to say that my life is hard like the life of a refugee in a tent city of 100,000 with no fresh water, handy food sources, health care or sanitation. And you know what; I often have to remind myself of the difference. I need to stop in my self-pity and disappointments and count my blessing. I need to stop and thank God for what I have and what I have been blessed with. I never have to feel badly about my feelings but I cannot let my situation, however painful or discouraging it truly is, gloss over the extreme suffering of most of the people in this world. Most of us don’t stop to think about how many gifts we have received and continue to receive. We don’t concentrate on how blessed our lives are. We often don’t bring our thanks to God in prayer. Why not? I think it is because it is far easier to count suffering and losses. It is somehow understood as acceptable to bemoan your tragedies and discouragements. It is ok to whine about disappointments. We all want to have people’s empathy and sympathy. Besides, when life is going along fine we don’t notice what we’ve got. As another song of the 1970’s said “You never know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” And most of us don’t think much about the blessings of our lives until we are at risk of losing them. Like the people of God who were saved from slavery in Egypt and led by God into the wilderness who forgot how blessed they were when they allowed their need for control and security to overcome their faith (Exodus 17:1-7). We must keep from whining to and quarrelling with God when our lives hit the rough spots. God is there to hear our pain and hold us in our suffering but God is also there refreshing us and reminding us that our blessings have saved us in the past and will save us again. As faithful people we understand that everything is God’s and that we have been given all creation as a gift to use wisely and prudently to see that all creation is cared for, nurtured and that all people have enough. We know that all we have is a gift and that one of our primary tasks is to offer God our thanks and praise. As a 1970’s play reminded us “All good gifts around us, are sent from heaven about. Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love.” (The musical Godspell here is a link to a YouTube video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_155n8qPd9A.) And we all know that we learn so much more about ourselves, others and the world from the tough times and the disappointments then from easy and comfort. We know that even the things that cause us the most hurt and grief are blessings when we move beyond them and realize that they too have brought meaning to our days. We must remember to pray the simple prayer “Thank you.” And we need to prompt ourselves with the knowledge that because of our blessings, our gifts we are to lift others up. Lift them from poverty, despair, anguish and suffering. Lift them from despicable, inhumane situations. Let them from their pain, loneliness, and discouragement. Our blessings are not meant for ourselves alone. They are given for the good of all. We are blessed so that others can be blessed by us. It really isn’t about what you’ve got; it’s about how you use what you’ve been given and the attitude you have when receiving and giving. The most moving stories are those where someone who has nothing can find a way to give – from the meager blessings of their lives they still can bless another and offer thanks for what they have and what they can give. So we are reminded once again of what it means to be faithful and that part of faithful living is counting your blessings and being thankful to God for all the good gifts you receive and using those gifts to lift others up. We need to make it a daily, hourly part of our lives to say, “Dear God, thanks for everything.” So I ask you, what do you have to thank God for? What blessings do you enjoy? What blessing can you identify that you want to offer a sincere and meaningful “thank you” to God? Take a moment now to count your blessings and then speak your blessing aloud for God and the world to hear. Dear God, thanks for everything! Amen.