Hello Everyone,

A few years ago, the Peanuts cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl. Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world is eating turkey with all the trimmings, and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog, all I get is dog food." He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment, and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."

There was very little joy in Snoopy’s thankfulness, for his thankfulness was based on a comparison. His thankfulness was based on the fact that he was better off than the turkey.

Here is something to remember when we’re down in the dumps and full of complaints because life isn’t fair, we should recognize that there are so many others far worse off than we are. We should stop complaining, but when it comes to our thankfulness, the basis should never be, “Whew, am I thankful that I’m not her,” or “I am so thankful I don’t have to live like that.”

Thankfulness is so much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else’s. Thankfulness is so much more than having enough food to eat, a nice, warm home to live in, good health, or financial security, because each of these can be taken from us in an instant.

Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted.

A friend of mine years ago introduced us to a tradition that her family did that they discovered from the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims didn’t have much, but they possessed a great gratitude and it was on this attitude of gratitude that America was built.

They had a custom of putting 5 kernels of corn on each empty plate before a dinner of “thanksgiving” was served. Each member of the family would pick up a kernel and tell what they were thankful for. It was to remind them that the first Pilgrims face such hard times that their allowance was only 5 kernels of corn per person each day.

We have many reasons to be thankful. This week let’s take 5 grains of corn, and using Psalm 103:1-5 think of 5 things to praise God for. Take time to read it today.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil