Thankful for All Things
…Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…. – Ephesians 5:20 NKJV.
There are many little things that we take for granted today. I was thinking about a few of them this morning. Steel-toed boots are one of those things. Red Wing Boots began making them in Germany in the 1930s. In the 1970s standards were beginning to be developed requiring the use of the boots in some industries like construction and manufacturing.
I could have used a pair of those steel-toed boots in the early 1970s when I was working for my father-in-law who was the manager of a cotton gin. We were tearing out old equipment and installing new or newer equipment. I learned of the value of steel-toed boots one day as I was using a hacksaw to cut in two a two inch in diameter steel shaft. I was careful, but when about two thirds of the shaft had been cut it broke the rest of the way off and fell on my foot. By the time I was able to take my boot off my entire toe on my left foot had turned black. The toe eventually healed but I had a new awareness of the dangers that could be lurking while working in that workplace. It’s just a little thing that no one thinks much about today but those working in some industries should be thankful for steel-toed boots!
Another thing that we should be thankful for is seatbelts. When I was a boy, I was in the back seat of a car in an accident that did not have seat belts with another kid. We both ended up in the floor of the back seat with no apparent injuries. But when I went off a dead-end while I was driving, I was thankful that I had a seatbelt on. It was just a lap belt, and I hit my head on the steering wheel very hard. However, if not for the belt, I would have gone through the windshield and my friend with me would have also gone through the windshield.
Congress required all vehicles to have seatbelts in 1966. I am thankful that my 1966 Mustang had seatbelts even though they were not required when that vehicle was made. I am also thankful that I had the seatbelt on when I needed it as I did not always use it. It was not until the 1980s when I took a defensive driving course that I began to always use the seatbelt. In that class I learned that if you can stay inside the vehicle, you are much more likely (Although not always.) to survive an accident.
I am thankful for countless other “things” that we take for granted now. Such as having homes with electricity and indoor plumbing. There are countless other “things” that make life easier for us now.
I am most thankful about having a Savior and of His mercy and compassions. I am thankful for my parents and for my mother having a surgery before I was born to make it possible for me to be born. I am thankful for my wife, my sons, my grandsons, my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter-in-laws, and our great granddaughter. I am thankful that God called me to preach His Word and that His call is without repentance. Even if I began now to call to remembrance the “all things” I have to be thankful about, saying thank you to my God, I would never run out of things to be thankful about.
What are some of the “all things” that you have to be thankful about? Let us offer a meaningful offering of thanksgiving this Thanksgiving!