“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” (Psalm 23:1 NLT)
Two 8-year-old twins, Betty and Beatrice, had been allowed to spend Friday night at one of their friends. Not often did their single, hardworking, churchgoing mother allow the children to do an overnighter. But after their whining, crying, begging, and pleading, “Please Mommy! Please Mommy! Pretty Please!,” the mother granted them their wish. As arranged, she picked them up Saturday night after dinner at their friend’s place. After arriving home, getting settled, and saying their prayers, and giving thanks to the Lord for all His many blessings, the children laid down for a night’s sleep.
Early Sunday morning, the mother of the twins calls for the twins to eat their breakfast before getting ready to go to Sunday School and morning worship service at their church. They rush to the table and sit in their regular seats. The mother places a bowl of generic cornflakes in front of them and pours milk on them. The twins look at each other, shaking their heads. The mother asks, “What is wrong with you two?” One of the twins, the one who generally takes the role of spokesperson or representative for both of them says, “We had cornflakes for breakfast every day last week, and every day the week before. At our friends house, we got to choose from all kinds of cereal. They had every cereal you can think of! Look at us! We only have two spaces on our kitchen counter for cereal! Our friend’s family has two large shelves of cereal in their kitchen cabinet.” The patient mother interrupts the apparently, future lawyer’s summation, “Okay! I hear you! But last night, didn’t you just thank the Lord for all His many blessings? Well, your cornflakes are a blessing too! Somebody did not have anything to eat this morning! And here you are with a bowl of healthy cereal, and you are complaining! I’m going to call you “The Children of the Cornflakes!” The twins really did not get the play on words, but they burst out into laughter. As they laughed, they kept repeating the phrase, “Children of the Cornflakes.” When they had finished laughing, they said, “Sorry Mom!” The quieter, calmer twin suddenly spoke up and said, “I’ll bless the food and thank God for the blessing we do have.” The Mom’s facial expression was one of joy. Surely her heart was overflowing delight.
Some Christian adults are the same way as the twins were initially in the story above, looking past the blessings that they do have, as opposed to giving thanks to the Lord who has indeed blessed them with many blessings. Why am I telling you this? That’s a good question. Because I know you are not one of those adults who are like “The Children of the Cornflakes!” Right! Well, thank God right now for blessing you in so many ways! Thank the Lord for your many blessings! Thank Him, knowing that you truly cannot name all your God-given blessing in one of your set-aide prayer times, even if you tried! Have a great, thankful, Tuesday! Be blessed!
“Count your blessings, not your problems. Count your own blessings, not someone else’s. Remember that jealousy is when you count someone else’s blessings instead of your own.” ― (Quote by Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King