Giving Thanks

Last Sunday I asked my first grade class what they were thankful for.

"Nothing," came the first smirky response.

"Nothing," I said. "You have absolutely nothing in your life that you enjoy."

"Ice cream!" he said.

One boy ran through a list of all the kids in class he liked, starting with his best friend, continuing through most of the other boys in the class, and ending with, "...and even the teacher." Which was actually kind of sweet coming from that particular kid.

Some of the kids broke out their Sunday School answers: "God and Jesus!" said one boy.

"Good," I said. "What about them?"

The boy looked panicked, then came up with, "Well, they're Christians...and they're the same person...."

We attempted a small bit of theology adjusting on the "they're Christians" score, but it was a good start. Because it's sure a lot easier to rattle off God and/or Jesus in a list of things you're thankful for than it is to think about why you're thankful for either/both.

Thankfulness is something that takes mental effort, sometimes. It's a choice of focus. I could choose to dwell on all the things I want that I still don't have, and all the reasons I might not have them. Or I could think about how I always, always get what I need, and how what I want and what I need are intersecting more and more frequently.

The first choice spirals me down towards depression, and the second brings a smile to my face and peace to my heart. (Why, then, is that choice sometimes hard? Doesn't it seem ludicrously simple?)

I have so much to be thankful for this year. I know you do, too. If it doesn't seem like it right now, just search for it. You'll find it.