Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Maybe its only me, but have you ever found yourself just so ungrateful that no matter what God has done for you, some negative speck seems to cloud the entire horizon? It is one of the ongoing effects of sin on the human psyche – still evident even in the Redeemed.

Maybe the following will help put a few small things back into perspective.

Maybe, as we contemplate Thanksgiving Day here in the US, for 2011, we can step back and drink in the goodness of God, unsoiled for just a minute. I need to do this more.

Heavenly Father –

You give me life

           But it really is hard

You give me mercy

           But you don’t stop me from sinning

You give me grace

          But it robs me of my sense of pride and accomplishment

You give me family

          But there are others whose friendship I would prefer more

You give me those who love me

          But they do not love me enough, or the way I want them to

You give me work

          But its not what I’m best suited for

You give me an opportunity to earn a living

          But its never quite enough

You give me children

          But they are troublesome at times, and embarrass me

You give me parents

          But they failed me and sinned against me

You give me laws

          But they hamper my freedom

You give me freedom

          But then make me responsible for what I do

You give me your Word

          But its work to study it

You give me prayer

          But its boring and awkward

You give me your People

          But they are broken and hurt me

You give me your Church

          But it takes up most of one day a week, has bad music and needs to be supported

You give me promises of Heaven

          But its so far off

You give me extended life

          But I get old, weak and sick

You give me vacations

          But they are too short

You give me Christian friends

          But they sin and I have to forgive them

You give me grace for trials

          But that means I’ll have to endure them

You give me limitless love

          But then you give it to others too

You give me the honor of being conformed to Christ’s image

          But then I have to die to sin

You give me salvation

          But only through the Cross

Now, may I ask you for one more thing?

Please grant me a grateful heart, so that I can freely and rightly rejoice in all you have already given – without these sin-stained glasses of mine.