What does it take to make you grateful?  How we answer that question can say a lot about us and our priorities.

I recently had the opportunity to go on a short, 3 day mission’s trip to Mexico.  The goal of our trip was to build a house for a family in need of shelter.  By American standards, the home wasn’t much to look at.  It was only 12 feet by 22 feet, with two small windows and a door, no water, no electricity, no heat, no carpet or sheetrock.  Just a cement floor with stucco walls and one wall in the middle to make two rooms.

However, for the family that received the home, they were very grateful.  One of the residents had lost her leg and is a wheel chair, and previously had to move around in the dirt outside under a rickety porch that served as their “kitchen, living room, and dining room.”  Having cement floors now meant that she could move herself about in her wheel chair on the cement floor, and not be exposed to the elements all day.

On our way home from our trip, I asked myself, what would be my reaction if I had to move into a home like the one described above?  Would I be happy?  If I’m honest, my answer was no.  That convicted me, why wouldn’t I be grateful for a home like this, when others that live less than an hour away from me are excited for a small cement and stucco home?

How about you, what does it take to make you grateful? If it takes a lot to make you thankful, then I encourage you to reflect on how much you already have.  As Christians, we already have everything we need in Jesus, and any earthly blessings are just “extra.”

Finally, if you haven’t recently gone on a mission’s trip to a poorer country, I encourage you to go and take your family if you can.  Although my family went to bless and encourage another family, we all come home feeling like we were the ones that were blessed and encouraged!

by Brett Sipes, HCS Board Member