Complain about blessings? Not me! Ohhh? When the electricity suddenly went off this morning, I realized we often don't appreciate our blessings until they're taken away. As I looked about the apartment, the refrigerator, the freezer, the microwave, and the range were all useless. One wag said, "Great. Now we'll have to watch television by candlelight." But the television, the video cassette recorder, and our stereo were also useless. No dial tone on our cordless telephone: the base station needs electricity. And I had to wait until the electricity came back on before I could compose this devotional on my computer.

On the streets, the traffic signals were out. Fortunately, in our little community, that posed no great problem, but I wondered about major cities with more automobiles at one intersection than we have in our town. Then I realized, "Nuts. Now I'll have to set all the clocks." We have a clock radio in the kitchen, a microwave clock, a television clock, that stupid 12:00, 12:00, 12:00 blinking on the video cassette recorder, and a few other clocks without battery backup.

Complain about blessings? Forgive us, Father. There are many for whom electricity is a luxury, and electric clocks are nearly non-existent. I'd forgotten, for the moment, You said in today's scripture, "In all things, give thanks."

Prayer: Father, we ask You to forgive us when we complain. Help us to remember that You want us to be a thankful people. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.