He begins to eat the vegetables and is delighted by them; he asks where such delicacies could possibly come from. You tell him about gardens and farms. He is amazed, “do you mean that the food you need grows out of the ground at your feet?!” You have never thought about it in those terms, but yes.
He then takes a big gulp of cool water, and his eyes light up. “This is so refreshing! Where does it come from?” You are beginning to warm to your guest’s other-worldly perspective, so you say, “you are not going to believe this, but it falls out of the sky on our heads.’ He is like, “no way!” and you’re like, “dude, way”. He shakes his head at your good fortune to live in such a blessed world.
We like to ask, “why is there so much bad in the world?” But today I am asking, why is there so much good? We want to know the answer to why bad things happen to good people. But I want to know why good happens to any of us. Why isn’t Covid more deadly? Why are most of us still employed? Why are the grocery stores always full of food? Why is the electric grid so stable? Why are we not in a terrible war all the time? Are there plenty of bad things? Yes. But why are things so good?
Theologians speak of Common Grace. It is the truth that God gives good things to all humanity despite their disposition towards him. Jesus uses this doctrine to reinforce his command that we are to love our enemies.
“…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
The universe owes you nothing, neither does God. The sun on your face, the water from your tap, the next beat of your heart; all gifts. All things we did nothing to deserve. All things to be thankful for. Light and heat flow into our homes with almost no effort from us. Most of us are walking around with devices in our hands that give us access to more information than anyone in history has ever had. I can maintain a conversation with my family on two coasts and enjoy pictures of them instantly.
I am thankful for all these things.
I am thankful that I married the only woman on earth that could have tolerated me.
I am thankful that she has made me a far better man than I ever would have been on my own.
I am thankful for our eleven great kids, (8 of our own and 3 spouses). I had to watch one of those kids die in my living room six years ago. I should be full of bitterness and complaint, but I am thankful that I had her to love for over 24 years. She was a gift, another treasure that I did not deserve. I am thankful that I will see her again because of Jesus.
I am thankful for our seven (so far) beautiful grandchildren.
I am thankful that we are never hungry.
I am thankful that we are never cold.
I am thankful for books, and sushi, and naps; for movies, and art, and music; for hot showers, and cool water, and the heater in my truck on cold mornings. I am thankful for the beach, and the mountains, and the desert, and for all the random beauty in this world. I am thankful for God’s common grace to us.
I am also thankful for his grace to me. I am thankful that my sins, which are many and varied, are forgiven in Christ. I am convinced that this world’s greatest need is forgiveness, and that if God were as stingy with it as we are, this place would have burned long ago.
I am thankful that I live such a charmed life, and that it will never end. There are still things that I want, but there is nothing that I need. My life is an embarrassment of riches.
Our Thanksgiving may be small this year, but my giving of thanks should never be.
“In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer