The Observation Deck

Your Birth

Thank God for your conception.
Thank God for knitting you together in your mother’s womb.
If you survived your mother’s pregnancy, thank God.
If you survived your birth, thank God.
If you were born in a free country, thank God.
If you were born to parents who loved you and provided for you, thank God (and thank them).
If you enjoyed growing up with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, thank God.

Life Before You Can Remember

If someone changed your diapers, thank God.
If someone woke up with you in the middle of the night to feed and hold you, thank God.
If someone cared for you when you were sick, thank God.
If someone read to you and played with you, thank God.
If someone taught you how to crawl, walk and ride a bike, thank God.

Protection

If you were ever almost severely hurt or killed, thank God.
If you ever survived a car accident, thank God.
If you were ever seriously sick and lived, thank God.
If someone ever protected you from harm, thank God.
If you’ve ever survived an earthquake, hurricane or other severe weather event, thank God.
If you’ve ever been kept from an addiction, thank God.
If you’ve ever overcome an addiction, thank God.
Thank God for all the times he has protected you when you were unaware.

Health

For diseases, disorders or cancers you’ve never had, thank God.
For diseases, disorders or cancers you’ve had and overcome, thank God.
If you’ve never needed an ambulance, thank God.
If you’ve never had a broken bone, thank God.
If you’ve never had a mental/emotional disorder, thank God.
If you enjoy each of the five senses, thank God.
If you can walk, run, jump and climb, thank God.
For every automatic bodily process keeping you alive at this very moment, thank God.
Estimate the number of days you’ve enjoyed a clean bill of health and thank God. (20 years = 7,300 days)

Food

If you enjoy three meals a day, thank God.
If you can’t remember the last time you went to bed hungry, thank God.
If food rarely makes you sick, thank God.
If you don’t have any food allergies, thank God.
If you have access to a variety of foods, thank God.
If you’ve ever received food as a gift, thank God.

Faith

If you’ve come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, thank God.
If you’ve grown in faith, grace, holiness, joy, love, hope, wisdom or obedience, thank God.
If you’ve ever enjoyed times of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, thank God.
If you’ve ever been threatened because of your faith, thank God.
If you regularly pray or fast secretly, thank God.
If you’ve ever grown through the ministry of God’s Word, thank God.
If you’ve ever been protected or corrected from error, thank God.
If other people regularly pray for you, thank God.

Peace

If you’ve never woken up in a war zone, thank God.
If you’ve never hid for your life, thank God.
If people you don’t know (and some you do) fight to protect your freedom, thank God.
If you’ve never lost a loved one to war, thank God.

Utilities

If you have running water in your home, thank God.
If that water is clean (hasn’t made you sick or killed you), thank God.
If you can take a hot shower whenever you want, thank God.
If you have indoor plumbing, thank God.
Thank God for electricity.
If you breath fresh air, thank God.
If you can heat your home in the winter and cool it in the summer, thank God.
If people regularly come to your house and take away your trash, thank God.
If people bring your mail six days a week, thank God.
And:
If you have ever read or posted on the Lakewood Observer, thank Jim O for coming up with the idea,
then thank Jim O and every one of the staff of the LO for making it happen. Thank God for having it happen.

Thank God!
I'm sure there are a thousand or more reasons to be thankful.

I thank God every day for my whole life, all of it. Just having a roof over your head is a blessing.

Peace Be With You!

Adding to all of the above, thank God for your family's friendship Mark, and for all of my friends in our wonderful community.

Back to the banjo.