Repost: "Sweet Merciful Heaven, It's Only Wednesday!" -- And Other First-World Problems

(originally posted 9/26/12)

I didn't sleep well at all last night. Nothing in particular,  just for some reason, my body wanted its requisite seven hours, and my brain wouldn't get on board with the idea. I left my cell phone -- which doubles as my alarm clock -- at work last night, which meant I had to crawl my way out of bed to hit the snooze button on the actual alarm clock. Of course, the new cups for our single cup coffee maker haven't arrived in the mail just yet, so I had to wait until I got to work to brew and enjoy my first cup of coffee. Brushed my teeth before leaving and found a little "pink in the sink" as they say,  and thought, "Man, when I actually find a dentist, I'm gonna get yelled at about my flossing habits."

But, somewhere between tiptoeing through the room to avoid waking my wife and stumbling around to find where ever it was my kids put my shoes, I realized... I have it pretty darn good.

There are people on this planet who have never even experienced bad coffee -- let alone the sweet, smokey aroma of a well-crafted morning blend. There are people in this very country -- in my own neighborhood -- who would happily do anything for a job. I make a living doing what I love. I worry about gingivitis while there are people across the globe who have lost teeth and even lives because they simply don't have enough water for dental hygiene. I have a beautiful family that loves me, while some children will never know their fathers.

Yet how often, in my complaining, do I actually take stock of all the ways I've been blessed and tell God, "thank You?"

Remember Paul's final instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18: " Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

And remember, too, that those circumstances the early church faced were not nearly so cushy as those faced by you and I on a day to day basis.  

And maybe, in learning how to be grateful for the things we've been given, we can remember also that the point of blessings is often to bless others with them. There is a hurting world out there, and we, after all, have a pretty good life.