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I like bright crisp light in the house and since the lighting in our dining room does not always meet our desires, Gale and I have been entertaining the idea of replacing the fixture with a new and better one. Not only would we like dependable lighting, but also lighting that would improve the décor of the room. With the room being small we do not want a fixture that will dominate everything else. Unfortunately our search so far has yielded little promise. However, I came upon one in a “Special Buy of the Day” sale that appeared to be exactly what I had in mind and my wife agreed that it would go well in the room. It was a one day sale, which meant we only had until the end of the day to order it. The problem is I forgot about it. When she got home from work she asked me if I had ordered it, which I had not. But no worries, since there was still several hours to go. To my disappointment, when I went to the website to place our order those dreaded words were in old letters: Sold Out! I guess that verifies that I am the proverbial person who is always a day late and a dollar short.

We were both a bit disappointed that we missed out on what we wanted, but not devastated; as expected, the sun came up as scheduled the next day and life carried on.

There is nothing wrong in itself of wanting other things, but the problem is that of wanting other things to the extent of failing to be thankful for what we already have. As we approach the observance of Thanksgiving, may we all be challenged to be more sincerely thankful to God for His abundant blessings upon our lives.

When I look at empty shelves in nearly every store that I enter it is a bit frustrating, and when I hear about the supply chain disruptions it makes me wonder what impact it will have on us personally. At the same time, it reminds me of how attached we have become to so many things—many of which we could do without. Instead of worrying about the unknowns that we have no control over anyway, it is a far better and more uplifting approach to be grateful for what we do have access to. I came upon a quote recently that declares that “Worry keeps you from enjoying what you have.” Indeed, a great deal of wisdom is contained in that simple statement and many of us can attest to it by personal experience.

The Bible describes a much different perspective of life than what humankind has developed. It is a much simpler, yet more fulfilling focus than what so many have become accustomed to in our day. God’s plan is for His people to trust Him step-by-step and day-by-day throughout life. As Christ gave the model prayer in Matthew 6, He did not instruct us to pray that all our shelves will be running over with the finest of foods. Instead, He taught us to pray for our daily needs: “Give us today our daily bread” (verse 11, New International Version). When we truly trust Him daily for our needs, we will be truly thankful every day for His goodness and faithfulness.

As we observe Thanksgiving Day and Christmas this year, let us refuse to focus on those items that might be missing and allow that to spoil the celebration. Instead, let us make the choice to keep our attention on the daily blessings that God continually pours upon us.

Will Gale and I ever get a new light fixture for the dining room? Maybe so somewhere down the line, but until then I will try to be thankful for the light that comes on from the old light when I turn on the switch. And even if the light fails, God never fails. Let us be thankful that we can trust Him every moment of every day. That is exactly what He wants of us!