Who do you owe some thanks to and why? This post is dedicated to Jim, my dad. Yes, these first few “gratitude-type” posts have been centered around my family, but seriously, leaving them for later just couldn’t be justified. I do owe them. I learned some very important values from my dad that have shaped my adult life in dramatically awesome ways, so that is the theme of my thanks to him today.
One in particular is a strong work ethic. Not an addiction to work but not an aversion to work either. He was not afraid of work, and he understood the value of what it accomplished. He used it as a tool, not as an end. The fruit of his labor has financially blessed many in need. It also offered me the valuable exposure to education, the needs of the world, and missional outreach that is easy to take for granted but always left me better off. I look back now and smile at the seeds of productivity and generosity he worked to plant and water in me, whether by intent or simply by example. Thank-you dad, it has been a gift that has and will keep on giving and giving!
Learning good from people is a gift. What have you assimilated from someone else’s life to the growing benefit of yourself and others? Today, make sure you heal this person’s hereafter with a dose of thanksgiving for their gift that keeps on giving.
I like to share a cause, quote, or website that the person I thank highly values, and one such organization for Jim is Children’s Bible Hour. Learn more about their longstanding outreaches to children here, which I myself have benefited from and can vouch for!
