I mixed up some doughnut batter to take over to an afternoon activity for the kids at school.  Our arms full of stuff we pushed through the double doors and headed to the kitchen.  I dropped everything on the kitchen table and flipped on the light.  The kitchen quickly became alive with the sounds and smells of popping corn and baking donuts. 

The kids excitedly came through the double doors eager to have some fun.  Another woman and I spent the time making donuts and popcorn while the kids had a great time talking, playing and laughing and watching the Veggie Tales Christmas marathon Brett had planned.  Two hours passed in a flash and the kids left as quickly as they had come.  We straightened up the kitchen and prepared to leave.  I stopped short when I stepped out of the kitchen into the main room.  Much to my dismay popcorn littered the floor and crumbled donuts sat on the tables.  I grabbed an ancient vacuum cleaner, figured out how to turn it on and pushed it over the carpet.  If it had picked up as well as it made noise I would have finished the vacuuming in a jiffy.

Finally after moving tables and chairs around to get to all the messes left on the floor the task was complete and we picked up our warm outerwear to brave the cold.  My mind rumbled with thoughts as I slipped on my coat.  Truthfully I was shocked at the mess left on the floor by teenagers.  Did they not see the popcorn they so liberally dropped on the floor?  I’m sure their parents would have been appalled to see their feet crunch down on popcorn kernels as they exited the church without a second thought to clean it up.

  I had noticed that when the fun was over, the kids made a hasty exit past Brett, who was making his way around the room picking up their left behind popcorn holders and empty cups, without offering to help or even say a “thank you”.  They seemingly just took for granted all the work and time it took to help make this a special and fun event for them–those ungrateful little tykes!

Before I got too far into these thoughts something else raced through my mind: a still small voice that said, “I know exactly how you feel.”  Uh oh, God was turning the mirror back towards me again to show that I sometimes treat His blessings the same way.  I’m thinking most of us are guilty of this more often than not; taking God’s daily blessings for granted.  The Bible says that any good thing comes from God, so if there is anything positive at all in my life, it’s only because God has put it there.

Yesterday Brett wrote about how important it is to look for God every day in the things around us.  I would like to add that it’s also a good thing to look for any and all good things in our lives and take a moment to say “Thanks” to God for His gifts.  If we can do that everyday, it will go a long way to help keep us from using God’s blessings just for ourselves and taking them for granted.