All of our lives we have been taught to be grateful for what we have, and wish for what we don’t. We spend our days taking everything we can and searching for more. What if, instead of being thankful for what is given to us, we give back the same or even more.

I think everyone reading this can agree with me when I say that we as individuals, a congregation, a country, and a people, take for granted the things we have in life. Sure, we are thankful for what we have, and help out every once in awhile, but do we actively make sure that the people around us share the same fruitfulness? I believe instead of thanking God for the same things every day or the people you have benefitted from, we should show our good fortunes by helping others to feel the same.

I have many things in life to be grateful for. I have an amazing education, a home, a caring family and friends, a beautiful place of worship I feel safe in and so much more. Many of these things I used to think were just basic traits of an everyday life. But, there are so many people in the world who do not have that.  We should educate, feed, clothe, heal, and nurture all those who do not have it. We as individuals should not feel that we are of good fortune until all those around us feel the same.

‘When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery … Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ (Deut. 8:11-17) Many of us, including myself, have forgotten these words during times of our lives. Sometimes in our good fortunes we forget from where we come from as a people. We forget the help we are given, and we forget those who are still in need of us. I believe everyone should make it a goal to think about those in our community and our world, before we think about ourselves.