The television is on. Hockey is getting ready to be played in Fenway Park, the Capital One Bowl game has kicked off, and the Ducks will be hitting the gridiron in the grand daddy of them all later this afternoon.
But New Year's day is great beyond all the sporting reasons. It's a great day to reflect on the past year. To think about the year that has been and all the blessings that God has given us.
Yet, reading the newspaper, it is easy to forget that we are blessed! Look at some of this morning's headlines:
"2009 started with hope but quickly turned to shambles"
"Keeping it real in the year ahead: Onward we now go, out of the decade of illusion, and disillusionment and into the new normal of the Two-Thousand-Teens."
"Recovery for Oregon elusive"
Living in the most powerful empire the world has ever seen, I think it is easy for us to forget just how blessed we are.
Check out some of these stats (taken from Rob Bell's book Jesus Wants to Save Christians):
- America controls nearly 20% of the world's wealth. There are around 6 billion people in the world, and there are roughly 300 million people in the US. That makes America less than 5% of the world's population. And this 5% owns 20% of the world's wealth.
- One billion people in the world do not have access to clean water, while the average American uses 400 to 600 liters of water a day.
- Every 7 seconds, somewhere in the world a child under age 5 dies of hunger, while Americans throw away 14% of the food we purchase.
- Nearly 1 billion people in the world live on less than one American dollar a day.
- Another 2.5 billion people in the world live on less than two American dollars a day.
- More than half of the world lives on less than two dollars a day, while the average American teenager spends nearly $150 a week.
- 40% of people in the world lack basic sanitation, while 49 million diapers are used and thrown away in America every day.
- 1.6 billion people in the world have no electricity.
- Nearly 1 billion people in the world cannot read or sign their name.
- Nearly 100 million children are denied basic education.
- By far, most of the people in the world do not own a car. One third of American families own three cars.
- One in Seven children worldwide (158 million) has to go to work every day just to survive.
- Four out of five American adults are high school graduates.
- Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half of the world does on all goods.
Human history has never witnessed the abundance that we consider normal. America is the wealthiest nation in the history of humanity. We have more resources than any group of people anywhere at any time has ever had.
God bless America?
God has. And we should be very, very grateful.
So this is what I sit here on my couch and reflect on this New Year's day. I reflect on God's faithfulness to me, my family, my state and my country. And it is here that I publically announce my thankfulness for:
- My beautiful wife and the celebration of 5 years of marriage
- My brand new bundle of joy daughter
- Health
- Roof over my head
- Food on my table
- Family and friends
- Medical knowledge of quadruple bypass heart surgeries (Tom's heart surgery)
- God's gift of miracle conceptions (Abbey & Dave)
- Employment & the opportunity for Brook to stay home and raise our daughter
I am so grateful for God's blessing and abundance. For me and my family, it is our prayer that during 2010 we do not forget the blessings God has provided us and that we can use our blessings to bless those who need it the most.
Wishing you a happy New Year!
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