"Be thankful for the least gift, so shalt thou be meet to receive greater."-- Thomas A. Kempis
I sometimes wonder (and lament) why the Lord has not blessed me with greater talents? Why do I not have a beautiful singing voice? Why do I not have the gift of speech or the ability to create an inspiring painting or spirit-moving sculpture? Why do I not have ... And the list continues.
It occurred to me that perhaps the Lord has not blessed me with those things precisely because I have not been grateful for the things He has given me.
Is that not the way with parents and children at times? As parents, we want to bless our children with many things, yet we are constrained because to do so would hurt the child when he is not yet ready to receive them. And so I speculate that the Lord has other gifts for me in mind if I were but to be more grateful for what He has already bestowed upon me.
This i know for sure: the Lord's blessings are infinite; our charge is to be grateful in all things.
My favorite fiction writer, Charles Dickens, wrote about Scrooge keeping Christmas all the year. My favorite non-fiction writer, Heavenly Father, wrote about needing to live in thanksgiving daily. When I read one, I am always reminded of the true spirit of the other. It would be better for me if I read both more often.
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