Every perfect gift is from above

That line stopped me in my tracks at church this morning. It comes from the Letter of James, and of course, there are a lot more words to it, but those six were enough for me.

Everything is gift. We have created none of the conditions required for life on our planet. I have no power to turn a seed into a tomato, and yet I am swimming in garden tomatoes this fall (and a lot of other vegetables, too). I can't make sunlight, wind or rain. But I can definitely appreciate all the gifts that come from above, or from wherever and Whomever they come.

And it strikes me that, if everyone on the planet thought about the gift that life is, the gift of family and friends, food and shelter, instead of feeling a sense of entitlement, we might appreciate what we already have even more than we do. And give constant thanks rather than wishing we had more.

In my books, these kinds of thoughts are what Sundays are for. Thank you, God.