Thank you Father!

Lately I've been trying to stress manners to my 22 month old son. Mostly his please and thanks yous. For a one year old, I'd venture to say he's pretty darn polite. He definitely knows that please is the magic word when he wants something, and sometimes he'll even top of a "please mama!" with a kiss on the cheek. What a kid I tell ya. It's the thank you's that have been the hardest part, mostly because once he has what he wants, he's no longer interested in any directions I've been giving him.

Well I don't know what happened, but over the past two weeks, this kid has been saying "Dank-ooo mama!" (translated "Thank you mama!") for just about everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. He says thank you when I bring him food or get him his cup, but he'll also say it when I take care of his brother and do the laundry. (isn't that nice?!) I even got a thank you after I disciplined him for spilling his yogurt this afternoon. If only it would stay that way! The point is, he says thank you for every little thing I do. And although it is nice to be appreciated, some of the things I'm doing don't seem to warrant a thank you. Like when I change his brothers diaper. I do that all day everyday and its what I should be doing because I am his mother. I don't necessarily need to hear thank you every time. Or when I put him to bed at night. Normally one would expect to hear a "Goodnight mama!" (or if your children are anything like mine, crying and whining) instead of a thank you. But to each his own I guess :)

The point is, I've been thinking a lot lately about how nice it must be to be so thankful for everything, even the things you wouldn't normally think to give thanks for. Right now my son thinks everything is a gift and although I don't expect it to last through to his teenage years, (sigh) I do find I have a smile on my face every time he gives one of his enthusiastic "Dank-ooo!'s."

It made me think a lot about the Lord, and how often I fail to thank Him for the things that aren't as "obviously" worth giving thanks. It's always easy to thank God when things are going right, but how often are we thankful when things are going wrong? I don't know how many of your brains work like mine, but I always try to look at bad situations and put them in a tunnel so to speak. A tunnel that's kinda like a car wash. (Have I lost you yet? :] ) This tunnel can be long or short, but all through out it I am being washed and pruned and molded. So even though the situation may stink, I know that it is for a purpose. And that God is allowing it to happen so I may come out sparkling and new. Now that may not be true for every single bad thing that happens to you, but that brings me to my next point.

Ever running late for an appointment, throw your kids in the car, slide into the front seat, shove the key in the ignition, and the car won't start? THE CAR WILL NOT START. Drives me insane. I'm sure that or something similar has happened to each and every one of us. What could God possibly be teaching me at this very moment, unless its the proper technique on hair pulling in a crisis situation? There may be no real lesson to learn here, but did you ever drive by an accident that just happened a few seconds before? Did you ever think that could have been you? What if God kept your car from starting to save your life? I try and always keep that in mind when things through out the day aren't going exactly as I planned. And I am not claiming to be perfect! In no way does the thought "Thank you Jesus for saving my life!" cross through my mind when my stinkin' car won't start in the morning. But I'm trying to make train my thoughts so that it may.

All that brings me back to my central point, being thankful. If God has provided you with a home, healthy kids, an awesome church, those are all things to be thankful for. But so are leaky faucets and unexpected bills. (Now I've really lost ya haven't I!) Why be thankful for that? Who knows, maybe that leaky faucet will give you an opportunity to witness Christ's love to a lost plumber and that bill may keep you from making a purchase that could end up costing you more than you think. You just never know. And this may not be true for everything; I'm not telling you to fall to your knees praising the Lord as your house is burning down...but who knows where your life will be a year later because of that? I like to call it positive thinking :)


Anyway, I would just like to throw this out as a challenge to any readers I may have and to myself to always be thankful, no matter what life throws our way. If I am a follower of God, and I trust that He has my best interests at heart, than all my comings and goings aren't without His watchful eye. And I should take comfort in that. Next time an unexpected situation arises, I want my prayers to be "Lord, I don't know what exactly You have in store for me here, but I trust You. Thank You for whatever may come my way because of this situation." It will take a lot of work to think that way! But it's something to strive for.

And next time my son says "Dank-ooo mama!" it can give me an extra dose of comfort to know that the Lord may feel as I do at that moment when I thank Him for the small stuff...happy to have a thankful child that thinks every little thing is a gift.