Are You In the 90 Percentile?

By Gobel Brockman


It's The Sunday before Thanksgiving, which means it's time for the prerequisite Thanksgiving message. In churches all over America, it's a pretty safe assumption what the sermon will be about. The thing is, that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is how often we need to be reminded of what we have and Who gave it to us.

We Americans are masters of the "entitlement mentality". Seldom before has a group of people done so little and expected so much in return. It amazes me how we get on our laptops and iPads while sipping our lattes, then get on Facebook or Twitter and complain about how horrible our lives are. Over the years I've talked to several people who have went on short-term missions trips, and without fail one of the things they return home with is a humble gratitude for what they have to return home to. We are indeed a blessed people.

Jesus once healed 10 lepers of their disease. When they discovered they were healed, one returned to thank Jesus for his healing. Jesus asked, "Where are the other nine?" (My thought is, 'they must have been Americans.'  But I digress.) I've often wondered what DID go through their minds:

*"I suffered long enough, I deserve this."
*"About time he showed up."
*"First thing I'm doing is updating my Facebook status." (I kid.)

But it does make me wonder - how often am I in that category? How often do I take for granted all the fantastic things that are in my life? I think I have a rough idea, and I'm not proud of it. God has truly been good to me, even in the times when I didn't give Him a first thought, let alone a second. I know I'm not alone in that. If you're reading this, that means you have a roof over your head - and your computer. I feel safe in assuming that everyone reading this has food in the cupboard, clothes on their back, and a car in the driveway. I do understand that many are going through difficult times right now - death or illness of someone you love, unemployment, financial issues, the list could go on. I also understand that we are facing very uncertain times right now in this country and the world. I simply want to point out this week not to take for granted how much we have, Who it came from, and how quickly it can all go away. We are blessed. Much more than we deserve. And I, for one, am grateful to God for all of it. He is truly amazing in every way.

Hmmm....feels good to be in the 10% minority :-}