"Be thankful for what you have"

 

Whenever my brothers and I would begin grousing that we didn’t like what was being served for dinner, or that there wasn’t enough of a particularly good dinner, we would be met with the response, “Be thankful for what you have!"  I was reminded of this saying while reading my Scriptures today.

The Israelites were roaming around the desert working their way to the Promised Land.  They were learning to be dependent on God.  First they grumbled about water, then they grumbled about food.  They weren't hungry, but they weren't satisfied.  They had full stomachs, but they craved greater variety and "better" food than what the manna provided (Numbers 11:4-15).

I don’t believe the Israelites were intentionally ungrateful, unsatisfied, or unwilling to accept the gift they received for what it was and not what they wanted it to be.  They were just human, reacting on a sensory level instead of on a spiritual level.  They were overly concerned with the immediate and didn’t have enough concern for the bigger picture.  They were so blinded by the desire to have better food that they forgot the price they paid for the food was the loss of their freedom!

I know I have an attitude like the Israelites many times.  I suspect many of us have had this attitude of not being thankful for what we have.  I suppose most of us forget at times that all we have - our homes, and jobs, and families, and wealth, and health, and our very existence - are gifts from God.   And so we complain, or desire, or crave, other "better" things.  And yet, we’ve received from God all we need.  That’s one lesson from the wandering in the desert - God will provide all we need.  We need to accept that truth - we need to be thankful for what we have.  This is a priceless gift, and we should rejoice in its simple power and be conscious of our gratitude. 

Yet so many times we’re ungrateful.  So today, my prayer is that I can be genuinely grateful for what I have, and not grumble about what I don't have, that I can give all back to God and take only what I need - the Creator's love and grace.