Giving thanks?

 The grown up table

The kids table

 YUMM!!! The turkey.

 The spread!  Makes my belly full just looking at it.

 The kids table. It looks better with the kids and the plastic green plates don't you think?

Shameless dogs hoping for another bite of turkey.
 I can't even express all of my "thankfulness".

 In the same breath I can't even begin to express my feelings of selfishness, gluttony and greed. How can you love God, love orphans, love the poor and sit and feel happy about Americans celebrating all of our 'stuff'.

Yes, I know many of us are also thankful for familly, friends and freedom of religion... but how many of us sat and really thought about how thankful we were for clean water, air conditioning or heat, having the basic 'necessities' of life?

By necessities I mean "necessities" not things we think we are entitled to. Not our excessive amount of '1st world' stuff. Nor our over-sized homes, gas guzzling cars, all of our electronics and gizmos.

As I write this I am laying on the couch with my computer on my lap thinking to myself "I could use an extra pillow for my neck right now." immediately my thoughts turn to the 10's of millions (no I am not exaggerating) of children around the world who have no pillows... have never had pillows. They have no couches... will probably never have a couch, nor have a computer? My gut cries out when I think of the conditions most of the world lives in. Why? WHY?

No. Me giving away all of my possessions would not make all the children in the world suddenly know what it is like to sleep on a mattress or have a pillow, or have clean drinking water or sleep without fear of thieves or those who intend to do them harm.

But slimming down on the excessive things in my life is one step closer to what God calls us to. Slimming down frees up the means to help a little more than I do already. Slimming down helps me step out of the "rat race" and stops promoting the "American dream" with my lifestyle.

The world is unjust. That is never going to change. Christ himself said the poor will always be with us but I don't think that meant "the poor will always we with us so don't worry about it because you can't change it."  We can't eliminate poverty but we can show God's perfect love. We can't totally alleviate loneliness disparity and hopelessness but we can die trying.

There is never going to be a day when I stand before God and He looks at me and says, 'I wish you would have kept more for yourself.' -David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.

OK if that wasn't a random stream of thought I don't know what is?! Sorry! :)