Thanksgiving, Are We Thankful?

Around November of each year you probably, like me, try to focus on those things we should be thankful for.  We talk of faith, family, friends, our churches, and our country (as off track as it is right now), among a host of things. 

I was reading a American Family Association publication this afternoon and saw a list of things that we either aren’t aware of, or do not normally think of.  I thought it would be good to share it.  It comes from J. Lee Grady’s column “10 basic blessings you should be thankful for.” 

1.       Clean water:  88.4 million people lack access to clean water.

2.       A Bathroom:  40% of the world does not have a toilet.

3.       Electricity:  1.6 billion people live without electricity.

4.       Shelter:  2.5 million in America are homeless and 640 million children worldwide do not have shelter.

5.       Food:  28% of children in developing countries are estimated to be under weight or have stunted growth.

6.       Your Stove:  2.5 billion people use fuelwood, charcoal or animal dung to meet their energy needs.

7.       Regular Income:  Most of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

8.       Education:  Nearly 1 billion people cannot read a book or write their names.

9.       Health:  2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized.  Annually there are 300-500 million cases of malaria including 1 million fatalities.

10.   Freedom to worship God:  More than 400 Christians die for their faith every day across the world.

Makes you think doesn’t it?  Should help us to thank God for His blessings, but also to pray for those who don’t have what we do.