Rhino and thankfulness ...

I am not thankful for even one thing!!

Well, that's how it seems I go through life most of the time anyway.

About as thankful as as an obese rhinoceros who finds happens to find itself in a huge quicksand pit.

I mean, I have health, a good marriage, good skills, good education, good kids, shoes that fit, etc. I do not live in Syria, Somalia or Baghdad.  My car is not broken down. My foosball game is ok.

Yet once in a while, like this morning, I am struck anew with just how thankless of a creature I really am.  Thankless as in not thankful.  Thankless as in utterly devoid of gratitude.

The story in Luke of Jesus healing the 10 men with leprosy has always intrigued me.  I won't go through the story but only one was thankful to be healed and the other 90% apparently were never heard of again.

I guess I am in the 90% most of the time.

However I do have the Holy Spirit in me. And the Holy Spirit wants to move me from the 90% to the 10%, I am certain.

And those days, like today, when I awaken awestruck at all that God has done for me and continues to do for me, I feel thanksgiving roll out of me like lightning rolls out of thunder clouds.

It is natural ... it is borne of the Spirit ... it is healing on about 5,000 levels simultaneously.

I do not have a prescription for myself to overcome thanklessness ... I know countless books, sermons, etc have been written and preached on this topic.  But sometimes more words are just not the answer, folks.

I simply have an awareness of my condition. But a man far wiser than me once said, simple awareness is 50% of the solution.

Therefore, I'm half the way there.

You?