What Are You Thankful For?

“Ethan, what are you thankful for this day?” The question was met with complete silence.

We were seated around the dinner table and, following the routine set a couple of years ago, we were going around the table and saying what we were thankful for that day, before we began eating.

It was the day after Christmas and Ethan had received his share of wonderful and thoughtful gifts, several of which met the requests stated in his letter to Santa. He had just been with his father’s family, where he is loved and gets lots of attention. Now he was with his mother’s family, where he is loved and gets lots of attention. In front of each of us sat plates filled with some of our favorite foods of the season; second helpings waited on the buffet.

“Can’t you think of anything to be thankful for?” Again, complete silence, this time accompanied by a stubborn look that told the rest of us, he was NOT going to respond. I don’t know where he gets that streak of stubbornness. Certainly NO ONE in OUR family has that tendency!

His grandmother (me) found the incident just a bit amusing. His grandfather’s look said ‘let’s just move on.’ His father was a bit disconcerted that his son could think of nothing to be thankful for in the midst of such plenty. His mother’s look told me she knew he was a bit tired from several days of high energy.

And still there was silence.

Sometimes, I have to admit, I feel a bit like Ethan. I try to start each day with some time talking to my heavenly Father. I have an ever changing list of things I talk to Him about concerning many of my friends, my family, and my own personal list.

But there are some mornings when I just don’t feel like praying.

Some days the list feels overwhelming.

Some days the list feels so repetitive. I have a friend who sometimes begins his prayer with, “God, you must get tired of hearing the same requests time after time.”

And once in awhile, I am just feeling stubborn and I just don’t want to talk to God.
The amazing thing is that He is ever patient with me. He waits until I am ready. God is ever ready, even if I am not. David tells us “Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply. “ Psalm 5:3
There was a pause as we waited for Ethan to respond. And that stubborn look became more and more pronounced.
Then someone else said what they were thankful for, and we went on around the table. There has been so much to be thankful for, in spite of the economic times. Perhaps we are more grateful because we are more conscious of our gifts during these tougher times.
Eventually we circled back around to Ethan and without a pause he joined us with his own list of things to be thankful for. We always end this time of spoken thankfulness with a hearty AMEN and then dig in to the food.
Like Ethan, sometimes I need to hear the thoughts of others before my heart is ready to chime in with my own list. Most of us can be feeling very sorry for ourselves…until we hear the troubles of others and then we have to send up a word of thanks that our own troubles are so small.
But also like Ethan, being in the presence of God’s people can often change my mood from one of stubbornness to one of rejoicing.
I believe that we were designed to “live in community” and when that community is functioning as it should, “loving one another as ourselves”, “in honor, preferring one another”, “rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep” it is a glorious experience and we can’t help but add our list of things to be thankful for.
In the presence of God’s people, especially when they are rejoicing from their heart, eventually my mood changes from one of stubbornness to one of thankfulness.

Ethan and I each have a lot to learn about being thankful; rehearsing around the table at least gets us started.

What are you thankful for this day?