Faith & Insight: Find lots to be thankful for

These are reported to be actual comments left on Forest Service registration sheets and comment cards by campers and backpackers completing their trips: 

"A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call."

"Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands."

"Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill."

"Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests."

"Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them."

"Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 feet so people can hike at night with flashlights."

"Need more signs to keep area pristine."

"The places where trails do not exist are not well marked."

"Too many rocks in the mountains."

Those comments had me looking up some different translations of Philippians 2:14. The King James Version reads, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:.” The Amplified Bible Classic Edition expands it to “Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves].”

I realize that we are now living in a time of complaining. What’s not to complain about? We have the virus, the lockdown, limited church assemblies, required mandates, inconsistencies in reports, difficulty in shopping, turmoil and unrest in the nation, political infighting, et al.

Did you notice something there about complaining? It has a spiral effect and keeps going and going!

Perhaps to stop it in its tracks, the Apostle Paul wrote “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Right now and right here is a good time and place to begin giving thanks! Start looking and you’ll find lots for which to be thankful! “…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

And, living in Carson City, I am especially thankful for the rocks in the mountains!

Bruce Henderson is minister at Airport Road Church of Christ. www.carsoncitychurchofchrist .com