This year we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. In a lot of ways I would say we have more to be thankful for this year than ever. Is that true? Sure, a lot of awesome things have happened, but should I be any less thankful any other time? Do I value certain things too much, and those things are what make me thankful?

I have been listening to a seminar that a pastor in Minneapolis named John Piper gave about prayer, fasting, and meditation. I have to say, it’s been really challenging. It has challenged what I am thankful for, and how to create a spirit of thanksgiving in all areas of my life.

Like orange juice. Did you give thanks for the orange juice you drank this morning? Why not? Orange juice, as much as a child, is a provision from God, and I want to thank God for all providence in my life.

So God, thank you for the harvest. Thank you that you bring rain when the crop needs rain, and sun when the crop needs sun. Thank you for the farmers whom you have given knowledge to grow and nurture the crop. Thank you for the hard workers who squeeze and bottle the orange juice, the truck drivers, the stockers at Hy-Vee, and the technology of self-checkout so I can enjoy a refreshing glass of orange juice in the morning. Thank you for a job that pays me more than enough to enjoy such luxuries. And thank you, my God, for life today, so I could enjoy that glass of juice.

Maybe if we were more thankful for orange juice, we’d be all-the-more thankful for the big stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!