Friday’s special sound makes me smile. Sometimes it comes in the morning. Sometimes in the afternoon. The deep diesel growl accelerates its way up our street, pausing at each house. Big arms reach out and thunk as they grab a plastic barrel. Another motor revs, lifting the container high, then dumps its contents into the truck. Trash pickup. Regular, clean trash pick up. Regina and I have worked in places around the world where that service is not a given. In some, it doesn’t happen at all. Ever. So, I’m thankful for Fridays, not just because the trash is gone, but because they remind me of other blessings.
Obvious Blessings
Some obvious ones, for example: A roof shelters my family. Our neighborhood enjoys peace and beauty—also not a given everywhere. My house receives electric power every day. I can open a valve for clean, potable water. On the extremely rare occasion either stops, repair is a short call away. Roads are maintained. Traffic signals work. Most drivers obey the rules. This morning, we ate a good breakfast and look forward to a savory dinner. Both nourish our bodies and delight our souls. A friend invites me to coffee. My sister texts. The stranger in line behind me pays my grocery tab because I forgot my wallet. Pastor’s Sunday message gave me new insight into a difficult quandary.
Forgotten Blessings
Then, there are the blessings I take for granted or even forget about, such as: I woke up this morning. That was my expectation last night, but it was neither guaranteed nor something owed me. Not only that, but today I can walk, talk, see, hear, smell, taste, and—as far as I know—I’m still in my right mind. In my home country, I can go to any church I choose, anytime I want. That country sits on a planet that orbits a star that furnishes exactly the right amount of heat and light. The Earth’s stable rotation within the Sun’s continuous flow creates a string of sunrises reminding me that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning.
Unknown Blessings
What about God’s favor we know nothing about, but upon which our lives totally depend? For instance, most of us know about the “Rule of Threes.” It says we can survive three minutes without air, three hours in extreme heat or cold, three days without water, and three weeks without food. What most of us don’t know, however, is water has a unique property crucial to Earth life. Frozen water—ice—is less dense than liquid water. So, ice floats. If it didn’t, icebergs from the poles would sink to the bottom of the ocean and never melt. Over time, they would accumulate until Earth’s seas become a solid frozen mass regardless of air temperature. No liquid oceans would mean no rain. No rain, no plants. No plants, no food. No food, no life.
Promised Blessings
Fortunately, the Lord honors his promise to provide everything we need for life and godliness—whether we know about it or not. He doesn’t demand we acknowledge each and every blessing. Instead, he says we aren’t even able to imagine what he has prepared for those who love him. So, of the myriad blessings possible, I am most thankful for God’s unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor. Accepting and confessing the reality of his grace is what Thanksgiving is all about.