“A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign reminded people that they were so blessed not to be blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?” (Borrowed and adapted).
It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and forget just how much we have for which to be thankful. It can be especially problematic for those of us who live in this nation because we are so richly blessed in so many ways. If we are not careful, we can begin to take even the simplest of God’s gifts for granted. In such a setting, we have to be intentional about reminding ourselves of the extent to which God has been benevolent toward us. With that in mind, especially as we enter the holiday season, allow me to encourage us all to remember to practice being thankful. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name” (Psalm 100:4).
God loves you!
Mike
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