{"id":3158,"date":"2015-11-22T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T15:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3158"},"modified":"2015-08-07T21:12:34","modified_gmt":"2015-08-08T02:12:34","slug":"choose-to-be-thankful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3158","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Be Thankful"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Year of Choices\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara\u2019s Banter at\u00a0www.barbdahlgren.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Be<\/a>Legend says that God sent two angles with baskets to earth to gather the prayers of humans.\u00a0 The first angel was to fill a basket with the requests, wants, and desires of people.\u00a0 The other was to gather prayers of thanksgiving.\u00a0 When they returned to God, one angel\u2019s basket was heaped high, running over with the countless petitions of men and women.\u00a0 The other angel had searched diligently but alas, returned with an almost empty basket.\u00a0 Are we a thankless society?<\/p>\n

Some say we are, especially in the United States.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to be thankful living in a land of plenty.\u00a0 Most of us take for granted having decent food to eat, clean water to drink, shelter from storms, and warm clothing in the winter.\u00a0 Basics?\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 But these are basics many people live without.<\/p>\n

Thanklessness is nothing new.\u00a0 Jesus encountered it during biblical times.\u00a0 Luke 17 gives the account of Jesus stopping outside a village on his way to Jerusalem.\u00a0 There He was met by ten lepers pleading for healing.\u00a0 \u201cJesus, Master, have mercy on us!\u201d\u00a0 Jesus did have mercy and healed them.<\/p>\n

Leprosy was a dreaded, incurable disease that affected the skin causing disfigurement.\u00a0 The skin would dry up and rot.\u00a0 Fingers, toes, ears, and limbs would waste away and fall off.\u00a0 Lepers lived a life of continual discomfort and misery.\u00a0 Because the disease was contagious, lepers were not allowed in the city.\u00a0 They were dependent on charity outside the gate or isolated and banished to colonies.<\/p>\n

Imagine the gift Jesus gave these lepers by healing them.\u00a0 They were no longer shunned by society.\u00a0 Their lives were restored.\u00a0\u00a0 Their joy must have been overwhelming.\u00a0 However, only one returned to Jesus to thank him for what he had done.\u00a0 Jesus noted this ingratitude in Luke 17:17.\u00a0 \u201cWere there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”<\/p>\n

If people are not thankful for the big things that happen in their lives, it\u2019s hard to imagine them being thankful for simple, everyday blessings.<\/p>\n

In Old Testament times, being thankful was so important that certain Levites were appointed to give continual praise and thanks to God.\u00a0 (1 Chronicles 16: 4)\u00a0 Jesus himself set us an example of thankfulness. (Matthew 11:25, 26:7; John 11:41)\u00a0 In all things, we need to be thankful. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)\u00a0 And we need to recognize that blessings come from God.\u00a0 (James 1:17)<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026The Bible tells us that those who aren\u2019t thankful are very, very foolish. (Romans 1:21-22)<\/p>\n

When angels in disguise come to fill their baskets at our doors, we shouldn\u2019t be afraid to make our requests known to God, but always with thanksgiving. (Philippians 4:6)\u00a0 One basket should not outweigh the other in our lives.\u00a0 It is good to give thanks unto the Lord. (Psalm 92:1)<\/p>\n

\"Psalm<\/a><\/p>\n

Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n