Grace Notes By Sadell Bradley: WEDNESDAY'S WORD - GRATITUDE - Sadell Bradley - 11/25/15

GRATITUDE is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Thankful means both pleased and relieved -because a burden or anxiety has been lifted and it brings great joy. The word grateful is kin to gratitude - a welcome gift received or experience shared is acknowledged, and credit is given to the one who has extended the kindness.

At tables across this Country, family and friends will gather for Thanksgiving celebrations with a great feast. Some will as a

matter of tradition, say a prayer or make statements that expresses gratitude. Many others will just dig in, eat enough for three people, and turn on the football game without a pause to thank the Lord for His provision, or the cook(s) for their tireless contributions. Cincinnati, Ohio where I reside is the #2 City in the US for child poverty at 52%. For African-American children, that number is a staggering 74%. (Cincinnati Urban League) There are many hungry children here not just on Thanksgiving, but on any given day. We ought to do something about that.

Around the globe, millions more are affected by poverty and hunger.

Before we sit down to our bountiful meals, we might as Psalm 41:1-3 instructs us, take time to Consider the Poor. Scripture says: "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." (Proverbs 29:7) We are to, “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people." (Psalm 82:3-4) Opportunities to do this are not hard to find...they're literally everywhere.

According to The World Food Programme:

795 million people do not have enough food to lead healthy lives.
12.9% of the populations of underdeveloped countries are malnourished
The Continent of Asia is has the most hungry people - 2/3 of the total
1 in 4 people in Sub-Saharan Africa is undernourished
Poor nutrition causes nearly half 45% of the deaths of children under 5 - 3.1 million children a year. 1 out of 6 children in developing countries is underweight. 1 in 3 has stunted growth.
66 million primary school-aged children attend classes hungry in the developing world, 23 million in Africa alone.

It is tragic that our greed and gluttony is withholding good from those who need it in a world in which God has provided enough for us all. The Bible tells us, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, "Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you." (Proverbs 3:27-28) According to National Geographic, one third of our food is lost or wasted. As Christians we are to demonstrate our gratitude with a return - as conduits of blessing to those in need. We have a responsibility to give bountifully, to "freely scatter our gifts to the poor" in order to relieve their burden and see their thanksgiving resound to God because of our generosity. (2 Corinthians 9:6-15) I pray we all will celebrate THANKSGIVING with an attitude of GRATITUDE and a determination to help those in need in the coming year!

The Holidays prompt us to assess our lives. We start on Thanksgiving and end with New Year's resolutions. A good idea I saw on social media: Get a jar and fill it with notes of all of the wonderful things that happen throughout the year. Then at the end (or beginning) of the year open the jar, see and praise God for the great things He has done!

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