Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.
W.T. Purkiser
The manila file folder is a couple of inches thick — filled with news clippings, stories, quotes and speeches, and notes about all of the above. The hard-copy file is a go-to file for reference material. A rubber band keeps the folder together. I also have a similar collection of documents on my computer.
Once in a while, I sort through the files and come across a story that moved me, or caused me to think in a different way. It is as if it has been sitting in the file waiting for me to come back to it again.
That happened again recently. While searching for one thing, I started reading several stories and came across one that was short and to the point. "Hmm, this is appropriate to think about during this holiday season," I thought. The message basically is this: If you receive something often and long enough, you may forget it is a gift and come expect it and possibly lose appreciation for it.
The story is about two friends who bump into one another on the street one day. That's likely to happen during this holiday season.
As the story goes, one of them looked lonely, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?" That's when the floodgates opened.
The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me $40,000."
"That's a lot of money."
"But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died and left me $85,000 free and clear."
"Sounds like you've been blessed," the friend responded, wondering where this story was headed.
"You don't understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."
I don't know about you, but I would have been happy about the unexpected windfall. Now the friend was really confused. "Then, why do you look so glum?"
"This week ... nothing!" he said.
The story produces a little laughter, a chuckle or two. At the same time, it points out the trouble with receiving something on a regular basis. You can take it for granted and get used to the regularity of it. Even if it is a gift, we eventually come to expect it.
Here was a suggestion mentioned in the story to test someone's character. Give him (or her) $5 a day for a month. Then stop the gift and see what the reaction is. How would you feel if you were on the receiving end of a gift that stopped giving? The natural tendency, if we receive a gift long enough, is to come to view it as an entitlement. We feel hurt, even angry, when it stops.
It's the same way with the blessings God gives us every day, the story continues. You may have a comfortable home to live in, for example, enjoy the beautiful, scenic view of the mountains around you on a clear day or take for granted the clean water we drink. But after receiving these gifts (and a multitude of others) day after day, we sometimes fail to be grateful.
The point of the story is this: Make an effort today to recognize the blessings you've come to take for granted, the gifts you've come to expect. Focus on what you have rather than on what you don't have, and see if it doesn't improve your attitude.
What have you been receiving as a gift that you have forgotten is a blessing?
Nigel Alston lives in Winston-Salem. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.
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