Stephen Rowland: Don't forget to be thankful for small and big things
Thanksgiving is coming — you know, that time of year when gadzillions of turkeys lose their lives to be enjoyed by thankful family members. That time of year when we reflect on all our blessings. That time of year when we express our appreciation for all the things in life that we can enjoy. That time that we enjoy being with family and friends. Thankful people are happy people. Honestly, I don’t think most modern Americans are all that happy. The thankful happy ones seem to be far and few between.
Listen to the people around you at work, at the grocery store or Walmart. Are they talking with their friends about how much they appreciate this or that? What I personally hear most often are complaints and frustrations. Worries about inflation; the direction our country is headed; how divided we are as a nation; what Putin is doing to the Ukrainians, crime in our major cities.
I know those worries are legitimate; I’m not belittling them. But honestly, haven’t we always had wars and economic uncertainty and political fighting to deal with? I personally know several Vietnam veterans, WWII veterans (most have died now), and Gulf War veterans. I’m personally glad I have not experienced the ravages of war myself, while being very thankful for their service. I’ve know a few seniors who lived through the Great Depression. If you think we have it hard now, listen to a few of their stories.
Political assassinations and race wars — I’m old enough to remember a little about that. My parents told me at age 11 to stay off the streets playing because Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. Gunshots were ringing out on the north side of Flint, Michigan where I grew up. Angry people were shooting at each other. One year prior to that the Race Riots were going on in Detroit — entire neighborhoods were burned to the ground.
A former pastor of mine took a missionary trip to an impoverished country in Africa. All the natives had for homes were thatched roof huts. Imagine living with no central heat; no air conditioning; no sinks; no showers; no electric lights; no TV’s; no toilets; no Internet; no carpet or even vinyl floors. When the snakes slither in you just beat them with a stick.
Your floor is the earthy ground. Your toilet is out beyond those bushes. You may have to walk a long ways to get a bucket of water for cooking over that outdoor fire. Laundry day was beating your dirty clothes on rocks in the creek. Many of those natives eagerly looked forward to attending their church. Their church was an open air tin roof supported by log beams and their pews were log benches to sit on.
The church was located a few miles away from where many of them lived. They gladly walked that far to church on Sundays. My pastor and another minister rode to that church in an old rusty pickup truck. Natives hitching a ride filled up the bed of that truck, so latecomers started hanging on to the side of that truck standing on the sideboards. Pretty soon there were so many that they all packed in there chest to back — then they started singing a spontaneous, impromptu song expressing their gratitude to God for having a ride to church that Sunday morning. My pastor told me that with a tear rolling down his cheek.
He also told me that when he returned to his home church in America and looked out over his congregation, he couldn’t help but notice so many of them looked unhappy. With all the conveniences of living in a modern industrialized First World nation, where U.S. citizens living on welfare are better off than 90% of inhabitants in Third World nations, many were so severely lacking in happiness and thankful hearts.
My first thought was that we really need to send a few of our frustrated, loudly complaining neighbors and acquaintances, in all their misery, to live in a Third World nation for about three months to see if they have an attitude readjustment upon return. It’s a silly pipe dream, I know. My second thought was that all our possessions and niceties of modern living do not equate automatically to happiness. My third thought was how easy it is to live all our lives, so much better than 95% of the rest of the world, and assume it is “normal” and take what we have here for granted. Ever wonder why so many of those illegal immigrants are so desperate to stream across our southern border? My fourth thought was that there really exists a true inner happiness, a real peaceful and joyful contentment, that Christ can bring into our hearts despite being dirt poor.
Just read those gossipy supermarket tabloids to realize that so many “successful” and famous people are actually living quite miserable lives — the drug abuse and addictions; the martial fights and divorces; the constant conflicts with family and extended family members. I’ve come to the realization that I need to slow down, smell the roses, and just simply reflect on how lucky and blessed I am to live here in the U.S. with a comfortable home and a nice car to drive to a comfortable church.
Happy Thanksgiving y’all. You can either complain about the price of that stuffed turkey you just stuffed yourself with, or be thankful you are stuffed. Your choice.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Stephen Rowland: Don't forget to be thankful for small and big things
