I am grateful to God today!

When I awoke at 5:15 this morning, I immediately asked, “What am I grateful for today?”

I listed all the obvious blessings such as my healthy and happy family, my trustworthy and responsible teenagers, a safe place to live, an active practice that gives my worklife incredible meaning and purpose. I was grateful to be a citizen in a country where one can speak their mind and not fear being thrown into prison. I was grateful for the warm sunshine in the middle of the day and hours of peace to rest by at night. My list of things to be thankful for was very long.

But then I thought about the millions of people who were not experiencing many of the earthly blessings I posted on my mental list of reasons to give thanks. My heart went out to those struggling to pay the bills, desperate for a place to live, scraping by just to put food on the table, unable to find a job, and worried about their health. I even considered the question, “What if I was in their shoes today? Would I be as grateful?”

And that’s when I revised my gratitude list. I thought back over my life and could think of times when I was struggling, perhaps panicked about paying bills, looking for a place to live, afraid I wasn’t going to find a job, and in the depths of a health threat. Through it all, though, there was always my faith in God that got me through those challenging periods and brought me to a solution that resolved the threat and moved me ahead to something better.

And with that realization, my reasons for rejoicing lifted up to the highest of heights, above thankfulness for earthly comforts and pleasurable human relationships, to God.