A "Little" Thanksgiving

Have you ever listened to a little child pray?  They often thank God for things you and I 
never think about.  "Thank you, God, for the birds and the grass and the trees and the 
flowers and the blue sky and fish and the dirt….."  Did you say dirt!  That's right, "dirt."  
A little boy I once knew always thanked God for the "dirt."  I'm sure a lot of moms who 
have to wash dirty clothes might not agree, but it's worth thinking about.

In Ephesians 5:20, the apostle Paul urged his readers to be "…always giving thanks to 
God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." The last time I 
checked, "dirt" was still a part of "everything."  So I guess it's OK to thank God for "dirt."

Sometimes it's easy to forget about the simple things of life—a beautiful sunset, the 
warmth of a smile, the encouragement of a hug, a warm blanket on a cold winter's 
night—those things that we experience every day and unfortunately begin to take for 
granted.  It was Jesus who said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of 
them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father (Matthew 10:29).  If God 
takes note of every bird that falls to the ground, maybe we need to be more conscious 
of all the little blessings that surround us.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, take a few minutes to reflect on all the little 
things that make life so enjoyable.  Pause between the turkey and the football games 
and look around at the millions of little things that our Heavenly Father provides every 
day.  Then offer to God a prayer of thanksgiving for everything that He has given us—
maybe even the dirt!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!  And thanks for letting me share this little time with you.