Instant Oatmeal and a Full Heart

The other morning, I got up and was hungry. I don’t eat much for breakfast usually, but this morning, for some reason, I was craving something. I searched the refrigerator and found only two-day-old pizza. I opened the pantry and found a box of Cheerios, but not enough for a meal. And we had no milk. My search continued, and the only feasible option for a morning meal was a packet of instant oatmeal. I was disappointed to say the least, but I heated some water and made a boring bowl of instant oatmeal.

As I sat and consumed my instant mush, I began to think more about what I did have and less about what I didn’t. I have a home that is warm. An amazing wife who loves me, and great kids who love and serve Jesus. I have an incredible church family that makes Jesus non-ignorable together in Northern Colorado at the doorstep of some of the most amazing countryside imaginable. The sun was coming up on another day that God has graciously given me to not only enjoy all that He has provided, but He has also given me this day to experience the joy in knowing Him. My pity turned to a heart of thankfulness.

I heard a quote the other day that goes like this. “If you don’t have anything to give, give thanks.” It is easy for us to get caught up in the things we don’t have, and that has a way of blinding us to the things we do have, which is abundantly more than we really need. It is good sometimes to sit over a bowl of instant oatmeal and just thank God for who He is and what He has given to us. Oh, the power of a bowl of instant oatmeal. What can you be thankful for today?