Monday, May 14, 2012

Remember To Be Thankful

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

-- 2 Corinthians 9:15

They were young. They didn’t know any better. At least that’s what I told myself as I smiled and held my tongue. It wasn’t easy but I knew anything else would be pointless because they really didn’t understand.

They were complaining about a customer. While they worked the cash registers. While they helped other customers. They were oblivious to anything but their own thoughts and views.

I wanted to remind them to be grateful that they both had jobs. I wanted to tell them how frustrating it is as a customer to find something in a bin clearly marked a specific price, only to learn someone had misplaced it and the price is much higher. I sympathized with the customer. They couldn’t believe she didn’t somehow “know” that the item was in the wrong place.

Later that afternoon I purchased something at another store. The item’s price was different from the price marked on the sign. The attitudes of the employees at that store were wonderful. The price really was lower and they happily refunded me the two dollars. I know. It wasn’t much but it was the principle. And I’ll definitely be back because they were just so nice.

All this happened on the day long-term unemployment benefits were ending. The news media interviewed people who had been searching for a job for more than a year. One woman, a laid-off teacher, said she wasn’t proud. She’d applied for anything she could, including custodial jobs and other jobs some would view as “beneath” her. She just wanted to pay her bills.

Which brings me back to those two young girls. They appeared to be teenagers. Young, as I said. They didn’t appreciate having jobs while others are struggling to find any kind of employment.

I wonder if they’re grateful for other things in their lives. Are they grateful for good health? Are they thankful for family and friends? Do they know Jesus? Are they aware -- really aware -- of what He did for them?

Somehow I suspect they’re too young and too untouched by life’s cruelties to understand and appreciate what they have. Life can really be hard, no matter how much we try to do right and make good decisions. Jobs end. Economies head downward. Illness happens. Death comes. And we cope as best we can. Remembering to give thanks for what we do have.

That’s the key. To be thankful. To see good. To smile. To show kindness simply because we can. God has granted us this incredible gift of life. Look around. See all your blessings and give thanks.