Read an alarming article yesterday about the percentage of American families that struggle to put food on the table. I think what was so alarming is that I often think of this as an international crisis but rarely think about it happening right here in the States.
According to a new U.S. Department of Agriculture report about 15% of U.S. households or 17.4 million families lacked enough money to feed themselves at some point last year.
The study also found that 6.8 million of these households — with as many as 1 million children — had ongoing financial problems that forced them to miss meals regularly (the Wilsons didn’t miss one).
Last night we sat down for dinner and one of my boys, who was hungry and ready to dive-in, remarked, “Do we have to pray for dinner tonight?” in a very whiny “this is such a hassle” kind of voice.
I immediately thought back to this article I had read and quickly shot back, “Yes, we do son. And let me tell you why.”
I’m not sure my little speech sunk in but I do have to say that last nights family dinner prayer took on a new meaning for me.
I want to seek to live each moment thankful for what I have.
My wife.
My job.
My house.
My friends.
My car.
My health.
And yes, even my food.
What’s one blessing from God you take for granted in your life?
My health! When I’m sick I always say I just want to feel normal but then forget to thank him when nothing hurts. And so thankful I don’t have any major, long-term illnesses to deal with like so many I know. Just need to be more thankful!
I do the same thing!!
great post. I am reminded to “walk” in a spirit of gratitude. so easy to become selfish, about us…
For me it’s my wife for sure. She has given up so much for me and my dreams and she hasn’t complained one time. She truly is amazing.
The other day I was getting a glass of water to take a tylenol and as I turned on the facuet I was struck with this thought. I have something that millions do not…clean water and medicine. Something that I don’t give a second thought to is not available to many in the world. I think we simply do not realize how rich we really are. That’s what God has been working on me with lately. I’m learning to be more thankful and grateful. He’s teaching me to be less wasteful and to use what He has seen fit to give us to benefit His kingdom more
So true Heidi.
We so very often take even the most basic of things, like food and water, for granted. Walking through a local grocery store with shelves and shelves of surplus food kind of has this effect on many of us. They say that familiarity breeds contempt. I guess we all need a glimpse of how difficult life is for so many people everyday. Maybe this ‘glimpse’ will help to fuel a revolution to combat poverty at home and abroad.
Thanks for your post, Pete.
Jeff
My breath. I know it may sound silly but the fact I’m breathing means God’s not done with me and thus it’s a blessing beyond measure. On my hardest days, I tend to forget the blessing of life.
Being able to connect with wise men and women all across the world through their blogs
socks
True that! Never even thought about how blessed we are to have such a simple thing.
my friends in Zimbabwe made me realize this.
Besides my special and loving wife for which I thank God for daily, I feel blessed for each day that I am pain free from a cluster headache. I know this will probably sound corny to those that don’t know what I am talking about or have never heard of cluster headaches but suffice it to say when compared to clusters neurologists that treat both will say migraines are a walk in the park. Therefore each day I am PF I thank God for this blessing.
A great reminder. I think my health is the most immediate. Then my family. And my friendships. And my job. And my church….
After reading that I’m having trouble coming up with a ranking for my blessings. I am so truly blessed: Salvation, A wife I adore (she seems pretty fond of me also), Children that all have come to faith in Christ, an abundance of food, water, health, and so many others I can’t list them all here. I am so blessed.
Thanks for the reminder.
I often I just forget the fact that God is actually with me every moment of the day! I am just so very thankful for His presence in my life.
Thanks
I work for a food Bank in Clermont Fla called Well of Hope. There are a lot of folks out of work here and depend upon us for their daily bread. God provides us with the means to support this ministry but donations are welcome!
Im glad my kids arent the only ones that do the whiny hassle voice at prayer time sometimes. Good blog. Help us, Lord. Show us where we can make a difference.
Shoes. This morning, I spoke in chapel at a local Christian elementary school. As part of my object lesson, I went through our home and collected every pair of shoes that we own, lined them up in our hallway, and took a picture of them. I expected that our family of 6 would have somewhere around 40-50 pairs. We had 82. 82 pairs of shoes for a family of 6 – and one member of our family isn’t even walking yet. I then contrasted that with a picture of a Kenyan child wearing a pair of tire shoes cobbled together with some rusty nails. It’s a pair of shoes that will never fit well and will possibly kill him if even one of the rusty nails punctures his foot. It’s hard to tell if my elementary audience got the point, but I sure did. We’re going to put a cap on the shoe buying here at Chez Freshour for a while and practice thankfulness for the footwear we do have.
I am thankful everyday that I am breathing. This week I am thankful that we have food on the table. I know about being at that poverty place. We have much. I know that. This comment is to further remind you that people you KNOW, not some faceless nameless homeless person but someone you’ve actually spoken with at work or at church is going home tonight to no heat because they made the decision to buy groceries over having their heat turned on. A decision that they will have to make again with the next paycheck. Utilities, Rent, Food. Sometimes it balances out and there is no problem. Sometimes it doesn’t.
My husband has a good job. We’ve made some dumb mistakes. But last week, the choice had to be made to sacrifice turning on the heat in order to have groceries. Of course, last week, it wasn’t really too hard of decision as Tennessee was in the 70s…However, next week, we’ll decide how to juggle it all again. Sometimes… we can pay all the utilities, buy groceries and pay the rent, but then there isn’t enough gas money to get to the next paycheck. The Lord always provides for us in some way or another. Sometimes it tests my faith beyond my comfort zone. But I understand this post because I live on the fringe. I am still thankful to God for all we have. I am not bitter about our lack, because our abundance is so much. At least we have the decisions to make. I am fully aware that there are others who aren’t going to have a check coming in order to even get to make the choice.
I’m in the same situation after 2 years of unemployment and now having a job that pays less than what I was getting on unemployment. Thanks for the encouragement of not being bitter about your situation. I can’t say that yet, but I’m working on it. I’m making a very concious effort to be thankful for SOMETHING every day!
I have been bitter in the past Aymie, but I can honestly say that while I was struggling with bitterness and God used someone dear to me who just simply asked me one day if I had given my bitterness to God. If I had told Him how I was angry and hurt and about everything I felt. Through our conversation, I was able to glimpse God as He is. He already knew I was angry. He already knew I was bitter, He wanted me to let Him take those things from me, and the only way He could do that was for me to let it go, the only way I could let it go, was to talk to Him about it… I learned He’s a big God, and He can take it. I also learned that telling Him all I was feeling lifted so much from me, that… all I could do was hold my head up and press on. We serve a mighty God, and He loves us all so very much…even when we are angry, and I think sometimes, especially if we are angry at Him. Praying for you tonight. God Bless you.
“But I understand this post because I live on the fringe. I am still thankful to God for all we have. I am not bitter about our lack, because our abundance is so much.”
We’re in the same place, and I love your phrasing. Every time I find myself wishing for a better place to live or wishing that we didn’t have to keep track of *everything* that gets spent, I end up scolding myself.
We do have a place to live. We do have water and food to eat and we even have heat (although we set it low) and a car to drive. We are trying to be faithful with what we have, and to stay out of debt.
Praying for you and your continued effort to stay debt free. It is an amazing accomplishment and I am in awe of anyone able to do it!
Thanks for sharing your stories Jayanna and AmyJoi and J. My family was also one of those statistics. My family of 4 was living on my part time paycheck for 2 years. Things were and still are super tight, but one thing that we did that made the difference in our lives is to keep a blessing list of how God has been faithful to us through this time. It ranges from people giving my hubby a ride (he couldn’t drive for medical reasons), to babysitters (for free), to giftcards and cash we got sent to us in the mail, to being approved for food stamps, to neighbors giving us turkeys for the holidays to scholarships to baseball leagues for my boys and on and on. And we are now up to 97 ways He has blessed us these past 2 years. 97!!!!!! That averages out to almost once a week! Our God is amazing. By keeping that list has strengthened my faith and is a great reminder that I can read when I am doubting. He WILL provide for all of our needs (not wants, needs). He IS faithful. It really has been amazing to witness Him move in hearts to help us through this time. My biggest prayer for you all is that you will hang unswervingly to Him. Call out to Him. Tell Him your deepest need and watch..He promises to answer. He promises that you will find Him when you seek Him with your whole heart. Hang tight my sisters and brothers in Christ. He will pour out His blessings on you. Keep watching.
So humbled by this entire string of comments. Thank you guys for sharing the reality of yoru situations. Praying for each one of you and your families right now!
Thanks to you girls, Jayanna and AymieJoi and Laura for sharing. I felt like I was taking a risk sharing our situation but it feels so good to hear from others in the same place. And fellow Jesus-Lovers to boot!
Thanks for your prayers and be sure I will pray for each of you!
Thanks Pete for a safe place to share.
I am thankful for all of those things you mentioned.
I am also grateful for the upbringing from two loving parents who love GOD.
As an adult with children I can finally understand how important that was.
The health and strength for each day. We just take it for granted until it’s gone.
definitely food.
i was reminded just how fortunate i am the other night; i invited a very close friend of mine over for dinner, just so we could catch up. I served him a huge plate of food, apologizing that they were just left overs I needed help eating and thought that was that. Until he was leaving and said, I am so glad you invited me over, I didn’t know if I was going to have dinner tonight.
I had no idea he was struggling like that.
I need to be more grateful for the time God has given me.
So true!
I definitely take my kids for granted. God has used them to teach me many things in my life. Also, the warm and sunny weather we have here in South Florida. Its still in the 80s here today.
As always, thanks for the great post, Pete.
Great post.
I take my singleness for granted. What the Lord has shown me this year in particular is to be thankful for this season in which I can partner with him and love others- I can freely give my time to listen, be there, help whereas if I had a boyfriend/husband I would probably truthfully be more wrapped up in spending time with him. I am able to seek the Lord about where and when and who to give to freely as he speaks to my heart, whereas if I were in a relationship
( talking married ), I might not be able to so freely share my finances to help others in need without seeking my husband’s opinion/ view on it first. So these are things I’m learning to take joy in and try not to take for granted and be thankful for.
Forgiveness, both what I’ve given and what I’ve gotten.
Amen!
Wow, this blog told me I actually take far too much for granted. The situation here in the Netherlands is not nearly as bad as it is in the USA, or anywhere else for that matter, so I’m not going to lose my job, I will not be without food, I won’t lose my home, I still drive a car … I don’t even think about it as often as I should. Thanks for reminding me!
I am thankful for my health though … I’ve been very ill several times in the past and feeling healthy again is really amazing.
Pete, this is fabulous! If I am honest, I am certain that I take everything for granted at some point or another. Thank you for the reminder to practice intentional gratitude and the reminder that our food banks need to be stocked, our doors need to be open and our neighbors need to be loved, next door, down the street and around the globe. Our retailers are making it easier than ever to help out, if we all just remember that the least amount of effort is better than the very best intention I wonder what might change!
Love this, “the least amount of effort is better than the very best intention”. That will preach!
I take for granted a bed to sleep in each night. (as well as all those things listed above by you and the other posters) I volunteer at a homeless mission and they quickly run out of beds for those in residence at night. I don’t have to worry about someone taking the few things I may call mine as I attempt to sleep at night. So many do. Even last night I got frustrated as my heat was kicking on and making the room hot as I was trying to sleep. May we daily be reminded just how overwhelmingly blessed we are, when others are so underblessed.
Mmmmmhhhhhhh. Such a simple thing.
Nasty Weather.
I usually complain about it.. all the time forgetting that He put the weather in motion in order that life’s cycles could be sustained.
And how much more sweeter is a warm summer day having known a desperately cold winter one?
I said way too many times today, “Man it’s freezing.”
I say that…but it is simply a statement of fact… Man, it is freezing..I ain’t complaining, I’m just sayin’!!
For me I think it would be my free time. I am at a point in my life where I seem to have a lot of free time. So many people don’t have free time, many don’t even know the concept of free time. It makes me sad in how I have used this time. I am famous for napping a lot, surfing the internet and many other things that fritter away uselessly the gift of time that I have. I am struggling with finding ways to use this time to show grace to others and let God’s light shine through me. We are on this earth for such a short time and I don’t want to leave it knowing there was something I could have done to make a difference, but did not.
Kind of a weird thing to some to be thankful for, but I’m grateful that I grew up poor. I grew up without knowing where the next meal would come from often. And my mother taught us that “God provides” with her constant display of faith. Contrary to popular belief, the poor aren’t always there by “choice”. Addictions, alcoholism and laziness exist, yes. But some is as a result of being in that awful cycle of no hope. I’m glad I grew up poor because I know in the times of need as an adult God will provide. I know that when I hear folks who are “well off” complaining about what they don’t have, I can say a prayer of gratitude for what I do have. I thank God each time I buy groceries or pay the bills for His provision. And each and every homeless person I see I ask God what He wants me to do for them. Sometimes, I buy a coffee. Sometimes, I give cash. Sometimes, I buy breakfast. Whatever He leads me to do. Because it is only by His grace, I’m not them. Psalm 40:1-4.
It is always good to be reminded how blessed we are because our (okay my) natural tendency is toward entitlement and not gratitude.
There are some attention-grabbing deadlines in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There may be some validity but I will take maintain opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish more! Added to FeedBurner as effectively