Thanksgiving is less than a week away and there is still so much to get done. For me, I still have to buy all of the thanksgiving groceries and then begin the preparations for the actual meal itself. Yet, I know that for others they don't have the money for groceries and the meal that they prepare will be much less. Every year my church holds a Thanksgiving Reach where 600 local families are provided with groceries for a Thanksgiving meal as well as for an additional meal. The members of my church deliver these groceries to these families the Saturday before Thanksgiving and every year I have helped to deliver groceries too. This year, I was unfortunately unable to participate in the delivery of groceries, but my thoughts were not far from the people who did.
Gratitude is important, but in gratitude we should share our blessings with others. I have always had enough, maybe not everything I wanted, but I never have had to experience need and I think that God has blessed me with enough so that I could in turn bless the people around me. Every day we are blessed with various gifts, including health, strength, compassion, food, and shelter. We have so much to be thankful for and we have been given more than enough to share with others. Sharing is important because often it is through us that God chooses to bless those around us. Think about and recall all of the times your blessings have come from another person. Maybe it was the stranger who wished you a good day when you were about to cry. Maybe it was the person in front of you who paid for your order too. Or maybe it was a friend who called just to see how you were doing when you were feeling down about life. We all have been blessed by the people around us and it is our responsibility to do the same.
Blessing the people around you doesn't have to be delivering thanksgiving groceries to their door or donating a large sum of money, but can be anything that you can do that directly benefits their lives. It might be stopping to hold the door for someone who obviously has their hands full. Or it might be buying a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich for a homeless man who is cold and hungry. You don't have to look for people to bless because God brings those people to you. I can't begin to count the number of people God has brought into my life that I never saw again, but was able to bless in those few moments we had an encounter. There are so many things that we can do for other people if only we stop and consider them for a moment. Our lives are busy, but I don't think God ever intended our lives to be so busy that we were unable to help someone who needed us.
Today I am thankful that I have enough, that I don't have to worry about where my meal is going to come from, and I am grateful that I have never had to worry about having enough food. I am blessed that I have been given more than enough and that I can help others. I am thankful there are organizations out there who make blessing others easier. What are you thankful for today?
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