AtomBlessed to Choose; Blessed to Bless
I went to the grocery store the other day to pick up some coffee. I was overwhelmed by my choices. There must have been twenty feet on that aisle devoted exclusively to coffee…
I went to the grocery store the other day to pick up some coffee. I was overwhelmed by my choices. There must have been twenty feet on that aisle devoted exclusively to coffee. There were coffees from Folgers and Maxwell House and Starbucks and Caribou and Eight ‘O Clock and even Dunkin’ Donuts. Then there were the whole-bean-grind-your-own bins with all kinds of flavor combinations. There was caffeinated and decaf and even “half-caf” for those watching their level of “caffeination.” Those of you who drink coffee know what I am talking about…and can probably remember a day when there was only Folgers and Maxwell House and Butternut and Sanka (for the decaf folks). What variety! What choice we have! And this was only the coffee!
I was reminded of my time in Nebraska when relatives from Germany would visit members of the congregation or when foreign exchange students would come into the school district. Invariably, when we asked them what impressed them most about the United States, it was usually the grocery stores. People from other countries could not get over the variety and quantity of foods available to us in this country! And until someone points it out to me, I have a tendency to not see what is right before my eyes.
I had a similar experience when I visited Kelsey at Concordia a while back. We ate in the new Cafeteria. Again…the choices! I remember my college days and the amazement of walking through the line and being offered more than one choice of entre’ and potato and standing before a case with not one but four flavors of Jello! That was far more choice than I had ever had at mealtime when I was home! Now the Concordia cafeteria offers “food stations:” sandwiches and wraps here and pasta and pizza there, salads on this aisle and breakfast food (all day) on that aisle, “Experience” (international offerings) here and “Comfort” (meat and potatoes and veggies) there. The dessert bar is “Delight” with four or five options (truly a delight) and the beverage aisle…well, you know. And I know this is not only a Concordia experience. As we did our college shopping last year, I saw this as more the norm than the exception. How blessed we are in this country! How often we don’t see what is right before our eyes!
I also received a mailing from Food for the Poor last week and was reminded of other things right before my eyes. I was reminded that one of the best definitions of poverty that ever heard was “to not have choices” about what you eat or wear or about where you live. And there are many among us who fit this description, and even more in countries and communities nearby. We know of the devastation that hurricanes brought to Haiti and the Caribbean this past summer. We know of how few choices some of these neighbors have when it comes to food and clothing and health care and shelter. But after the initial news broadcasts we tend to forget…and to forget how blessed we are…and how sharing just a bit of that blessing can change lives.
So, as you do your Thanksgiving shopping and sit around a bountiful table with your family, enjoy the wonder and give thanks for the blessings we enjoy in this country and community. It is easy to forget that even in difficult economic times, we have far more abundance than most. And in our thanksgiving let us also remember to bless as we have been blessed – to give something of what we have received so that others might be fed and sheltered. The Becker County Food Pantry is one avenue of sharing, as is TeacHaiti, the Evangelical Lutheran Church Hunger Appeal and Disaster Response Fund. And these are only some of those that our Church participates in. There are others. As we give thanks for the many choices before us, may we also choose to be a blessing!
Learning and growing with you,
Pastor Wade
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