A man was taking some time to give thanks for all the good things God had given him. He raised his hands heavenward and said, “Thank you God for my wife, for my children, for my job and for my friends.”
Now, the devil, who detests all words of thankfulness, overheard the man and cringed. He whispered in the man’s ear, “Yes, you have a few good things, but think about all the things YOU DON’T HAVE. Yes, think about that for a moment … maybe then you’ll change your words of thankfulness!”
The man heard the devil’s whisper and thought about all that he didn’t have. After a few minutes of silence the devil thought maybe he had won a small victory by shutting the man up. Just then the man spoke up again with this new-found revelation delivered to him by the enemy of his soul. With hands raised even higher than before, he said, “Thank you Lord that I DON’T HAVE an adulteress wife, that I DON’T HAVE rebellious kids, that I DON’T HAVE a job that I hate, and that I DON’T HAVE friends who put me down and discourage me.”
The devil cried out in defeat, “That’s not what I meant!”
THE MORAL OF THE STORY: You are blessed beyond measure. So, thank God for what you have … and also for what you don’t have! (Wink, wink!)
