Have you ever found yourself in a King Soopers or Walmart or Safeway looking for a bag of chips and just thought, “how can I even choose when there are so many choices?”  That happens to me almost every time I find myself in the store.  In our society, we are blessed to have abundant choices.  You need cereal?  Well would you like the ones with marshmallows, or the ones with just bran flakes, or the ones with light sugar bran flakes with strawberries, or maybe you just want the one with all the cookies.  You need a shirt?  Well would you like the one made out of cotton, or how about the one that J. Lo designed, or what about the one with all the flowers, or maybe the shirt with your favorite sports team logo?  You would like to go out to eat?  Well, would you like fast food, or would you like a place that serves you chips and salsa, or would you like a place with the best egg rolls, or what about a place that has unlimited choices in beverages?  And don’t even mention all of the options that we have on where to spend our time and our money!  The lists are endless!

Yes, we are a blessed society.  And yet, when we look at our communities, we can see people who are in need.  These are people who do not have the option to decide on what kind of cereal they are eating (whatever is the cheapest), or what kind of shirt they are going to buy (whatever is donated), or where they are going to go out to eat (eating at home is way cheaper).  Maybe you have found yourself there… maybe you are there now.  In Philippians 4:19 we find these words, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  You see, God doesn’t promise to provide for all of our wants, and believe me, there are many choices out there!  But instead, we are told that God will provide for all of our needs.   What are you in need of today?  Maybe you are hurting and are in need of someone listening to you… maybe you are in need of someone to provide a meal for you… maybe you are struggling and in need of hope… God is there and will meet all of your needs.

In this season where we start to focus on all that God has blessed us with, let us remember first of all that we are blessed! We are blessed with all that we need.  We are blessed with homes, with families and friends, with more than we could possibly ever need.  And we are blessed with a place where we can come, just as we are, and be supported and loved and challenged in our faith.  And in this season, we also have a choice.  We have a choice to feel that we never have enough, or we have a choice to be thankful for all that God has given us.  We have a choice to spend money on our wants, or we can reach out to those who are in need and to give.  Let us choose to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Let us be a people who live lives of gratitude and who have generous hearts, choosing to reach out to those who are in need in communities and in our world.