Thank you Lord for all the things I do not have

Genesis 22:14 Jehova Jireh “The Lord Will provide.” – God can lead the fish to your hook but you still need to cast out the line.

Thank you God for what I don’t have.

I woke this morning and continued with my daily Monday morning routine. Start the coffee, iron my clothes, empty the sink of dirty dishes, make my lunch and breakfast, shower, dress and fight traffic to work. Oh and I have three children in each level of public school. Elementary, Middle and High School. So there are many ad hoc things thrown in-between.  Yes many of us have similar routines and they don’t stop on Monday.

Most of the times we are so busy with our routines and ad hoc solutions to the many things that pop up unaccounted for in our daily lives that we forget to Thank God for the many things we don’t have. On the local news this morning there was an alert, a man in his 50’s was shot and killed on his doorsteps last night in Mineola. A terrible story and situation. I felt terrible for this unfortunate man and his family but I was waiting on Rich Hoffman the local meteorologist for the weather report and the incident was many towns away from me. I just parked the story in the back of my memory modules. It is 35 degrees Fahrenheit this morning and I wanted to know if we were going to have puddles or mountains of snow. My routine is what is driving me.

As I made it into work I started another routine. My work routine which includes going downstairs to Demi’s Coffee Shop for a great cup of coffee. I say great because it truly is fantastic. As turn into the Coffee Shop located in the building lobby I peak outdoors to verify that the Rich’s weather prediction is correct. So far he is on the money. Out of the corner of my eye I see two police men standing in the rain at the back of a parked ambulance.  They are not hurried or rushed but they are gently pushing man lying on a gurney into the back of the ambulance. The man on the gurney is strapped in sitting in an upright position. There is a little dialog between the officers and it appears everyone is calm. This helps ease my subconscious mind that everything will be alright. If communication between officers had been rushed and short a sense of urgency would have subconsciously told my mind that this situation was dire.

As I poured my coffee I looked up at the television set playing the Channel 12 local News and the news alert story is playing again. I hear the words “Police are looking for the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting.” It final dawns on me, Thank you Lord for the things I don’t have this morning.

There are so many things I don’t have that I should be grateful for. Thank You Lord my redeemer. Thank you for not having my body fail to disease, thank you for not placing a thief on my doorstep, thank you for not flooding my streets with rain and snow so I could get to work on time. Thank you for my children not having bad health that prevent them from going to school and learning. Thank you for not having to explain to police officers what my children look like or what they were wearing last. Thank you for not having to say good bye to my wife until we meet again in heaven. Thank you Lord for all the things I do not have. For the things I don’t have. Have truly blessed me.