{"id":2198,"date":"2011-11-23T01:00:25","date_gmt":"2011-11-23T06:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=2198"},"modified":"2011-11-21T19:01:07","modified_gmt":"2011-11-22T00:01:07","slug":"a-thanksgiving-value-respect-for-the-things-i-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/a-thanksgiving-value-respect-for-the-things-i-have.html","title":{"rendered":"A Thanksgiving value: Respect for the things I have"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I passed through the family room I heard a TV Talking Head<\/em> speaking about money problems. \u00a0“One of the things we must learn is to have respect for what you have.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I stopped wanting to take note of who was speaking; but The Head<\/em> had disappeared from the screen as they often do. \u00a0While The Head<\/em> was gone, her point stuck. \u00a0I reached into my pocket and found 10 crumpled $1 bills. \u00a0I stopped to straighten the errant bills and put them back where they belonged. \u00a0Then I decided to take a survey the other possessions I have that I’ve disrespected.<\/p>\n

I placed a towel that had fallen on the floor into the dirty clothes hamper. \u00a0This morning as I dressed, I had carelessly stepped on the towel rather than pick it up. Then I attempted to repair the blinds in a bedroom that had been broken by the last guests in our home. \u00a0I had spent a few minutes trying to straighten it but concluded that it would be easier to buy something new than keep fiddling with the cranky window covering. \u00a0Miraculously, after an additional ten minutes or so, I found the secret to the repair and the blinds obeyed my command to go back to its lower position.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I wiped the inside of my refrigerator and freezer where I’d neglected spills. \u00a0I straightened my food pantry and removed the out-of-date items. \u00a0I cleaned out the bottom of my cabinet where I keep those glass jars when the jelly is empty.<\/p>\n

These were the easy fixes. \u00a0My monthly bill file drawer will take more than 10 minutes to return to its proper location. \u00a0The garden in the back of our house will be a day project. \u00a0My dented auto will put my traveling out of commission for about a week when it’s repaired.<\/p>\n

Once again, the Lord had spoken to me through an unusual voice. \u00a0Thanksgiving must be a time for prayers of thankfulness. \u00a0But showing respect for the many things God has given to me will show my thanksfulness in tangible ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I passed through the family room I heard a TV Talking Head speaking about money problems. \u00a0“One of the things we must learn is to have respect for what you have.” I stopped wanting to take note of who was speaking; but The Head had disappeared from the screen as they often do. \u00a0While…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,40,186,49,4,41,330],"tags":[21,688,696,7,699,715,701,6,700,736],"class_list":["post-2198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","category-thanksgiving","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nA Thanksgiving value: Respect for the things I have - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/a-thanksgiving-value-respect-for-the-things-i-have.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Thanksgiving value: Respect for the things I have - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As I passed through the family room I heard a TV Talking Head speaking about money problems. \u00a0“One of the things we must learn is to have respect for what you have.” I stopped wanting to take note of who was speaking; but The Head had disappeared from the screen as they often do. \u00a0While…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/a-thanksgiving-value-respect-for-the-things-i-have.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-23T06:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-11-22T00:01:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/11\/television-150x145.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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