T is for Thankful

I was doing laundry the other day and I looked up and saw this. The meter on the top of our oil tank was just a little below full. I started to cry right there over the towels I was folding.

The day before this happened we drove passed a man on our way home from the store who was standing on the corner, bundled up because of the cold, holding a cardboard sign that said "No oil. Kids are cold. Please help."

We couldn't help him. I was actually depressed and complaining outright on that ride home. We had just spent 17 of my last 20 dollars of cash on an economy sized bundle of toilet paper at the wholesale store that will last us for a few months, yes, but that had left me with only a dollar or two of spending money in my wallet until pay day.

But, there in my laundry room, it occurred to me that I had overlooked some of the most substantial blessings God had given me. While I may not have had any extra cash in my wallet to spend as I pleased, our bills were paid, our house was warm, our fridge was stocked, and our bellies would be full until I had grocery money again.

I was humbled and ashamed when I realized, once again, how greedy for gain I can be and how often I take for granted what I already have. And, for the first time since I read his sign, I was able to, at least, pray with a right heart that God would meet that man's needs like He has met ours.