Listen to the Devotional
John Wesley was six years old when the fire broke out in the frame house where he and his large family lived. It was one of the most vivid memories of his life. John was trapped on the second floor, unable to get out. He stood at the window, terrified, afraid to jump.
But a neighbor, standing on the shoulders of another man, was able to reach the little boy and pull him through the window just as the roof collapsed and fell, where, only moments before, John had been standing.
Telling of the event many years later, John Wesley wrote, “When they brought me to the house where my father was, he cried out, `Come neighbors, let us kneel down! Let us give thanks to God! He has given me all my eight children; let the house go, I am rich enough.’”
In 1709, the year that this tragedy took place, there were no insurance policies guaranteeing the rebuilding of a house that had been engulfed in flames. Normally, a man’s life savings went into his house, it was passed down to one of the children as an inheritance. The house was of no concern: “I am rich enough!” he said, thanking God that the lives of his children had been spared.
Years ago, a friend and I happened to notice smoke coming out of the window of a small house nearby. We ran to see if we could help, but by the time we arrived, it was too late. An oil heater had exploded, sending flames throughout the tiny little house.
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Outside stood a mother, a father, and a little girl about seven years of age. The mother was crying; the dad wringing his hands as I heard him say, “My God, all is lost; everything we own.” Reaching up for the hand of the father, the little girl said, “Daddy, all’s not lost; you’ve got Mommy and me!”
Far too often we focus on the ashes, the failures, the broken dreams, what happened which didn’t go according to the script. We wring our hands and cry. What really counts? The rebuilding of a house or a business, or saving a family?
The house was of no concern: “I am rich enough!” he said, thanking God that the lives of his children had been spared.
Our problem, simply put, is that we have put so much value on possessions, we have lost sight of the value of relationships—family, friends and neighbors.
We need to learn the lesson Jesus impressed on the disciples when he said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Some say that today, we are a thankless people, and few would deny that the sin of ingratitude is one of our major flaws. Yet, in some cases, it is not because people are willfully ungrateful of their blessings. Ingratitude is often linked to the sin of busyness, even more than the sin of indifference. It is often the result of your failing to take time to count your blessings. The sin of omission results from being too busy to take time to acknowledge the goodness of God who sends the sunshine and the rain, who controls the markets which create the job, allowing you to feed your family.
How do you develop an attitude of gratitude? What is needed today is a clear vision, separating what is really important from the clutter and baggage that fills our lives and schedules—things which don’t really matter when it comes to the true currency of life and living.
Get the perspective of eternity! Separate the wheat from the chaff! Learn to know the difference between what people think is important—the house, the car, the luxury vacation—from what really is important.
Learn to be grateful for the moment—the cup of coffee with your mate or your best friend, the beauty of a morning, the quiet evening with your family at home, the smell of the dew and the fragrance of a rose or a flower. For these, be thankful! There is gratitude beyond the fire of disappointment. Think about it.
Resource reading: Acts 16:19-28.
