It’s been a lot of fun to be thinking about specific things for which I’m grateful. But through this exercise, I’ve learned something about the way we think. We feel like we should say we’re grateful for things we’re not. The Scripture tells us, “In everything give thanks…” and I’m sure that there is great merit in thanking God for things that are unpleasant to us. In fact, often I am not grateful for things that I should be thanking God for.

My grandmother had a poem hanging over her kitchen sink that read…

Thank God for Dirty Dishes
author unknown

Thank God for Dirty Dishes,

They have a tale to tell.

While others are going hungry,

We’re eating very well.

With home and health and happiness,

I shouldn’t want to fuss.

For by this stack of evidence,

God’s very good to us.

* * *

Quite frankly, I’m not grateful for dirty dishes. And I get irritated by the mountain of laundry next to the washer. The bikes tossed all over our front yard look messy to me. My unmade bed doesn’t evoke feelings of gratitude. And my flabby belly doesn’t inspire me to raise prayers of thanksgiving for having enough to eat. Someday maybe I’ll do a series on things I SHOULD be grateful for. But that isn’t what this series is about this time. It’s about things that I am truly grateful for on a daily basis… things that make me smile… things that make me whisper a prayer of thanks even before I realize I’m doing it.

So what is it today? The rain. I love it when it rains. I peer outside anxiously to make sure enough rain is coming down to water my flowers and garden thoroughly. Even though I try to keep things watered on sunny days, the rain does the best job of all. When I see rain in the forecast, I get excited. We need rain! And when thunderstorms head our way and the tornado sirens sound, I get a thrill of excitement and awe at the power of the winds and lightening.
Sometimes during a steady rain I sit on my covered front porch and just enjoy the smell and sound and feel of the rain. (I’m sure that if I ever suffered from a flood or a tornado, I would be much more afraid of the power of nature.)

Years ago when our little Laura was afraid of the storms, I found a passage in Job 37 that says…

5 God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.

6 He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

7 So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.

8 The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.

9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.

10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.

Today it’s raining. According to the weather radar, it won’t last long, but I sure am enjoying it while it’s here. I few days ago I planted some lilac sprouts, and I’m eager for them to get a good start. I’m sure this rain is exactly what they need!