{"id":118,"date":"2011-11-28T17:28:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-28T17:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wordynerdy\/2011\/11\/thanks-for-what\/"},"modified":"2011-11-28T17:28:00","modified_gmt":"2011-11-28T17:28:00","slug":"thanks-for-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wordynerdy\/2011\/11\/thanks-for-what\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanks for what?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This Thanksgiving we tried a new tradition. \u00a0Our friends Jeff and Tara created a practice where everyone goes around the table and shares their past year\u2019s worst thing. \u00a0Each sharing is followed by everyone raising their glass and saying, \u201cPraise God!\u201d \u00a0(to read Tara\u2019s fuller explanation, read here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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I wanted to try their ritual because I feel like I\u2019m raising 3 entitled brats, kids who think there\u2019s no God who loves them or justice in the world because they don\u2019t own a summer home, the right clothing or any of a whole bunch of other accoutrements. <\/p>\n

I realize much, if not all of this, is our fault\u2013when you choose to live in a wealthy suburb where it feels like the vast majority of folks earn more or own more (even if that might not be true)\u2013how can we not expect our kids to grow up feeling this way?<\/p>\n

We hoped that exposing them to a month in China would help, but it didn\u2019t. \u00a0They still feel like we\u2019re big meanies who won\u2019t give them what they think they need. <\/p>\n

It seems to me that a damaging consequence of privilege is feeling like\u00a0God has abandoned us or no longer exists if\u00a0we don\u2019t get what we want or life doesn\u2019t go the way we think it should. \u00a0So I wanted to implement a mini-course in training our children to praise God in all circumstances.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know how my suggestion would go over with my parents and sister\u2019s family. \u00a0At first, they were open, but when I explained it further, my sister said, \u201cYou want us say \u2018Praise God! My father-in-law died???\u201d<\/p>\n

When you put it that way, it doesn\u2019t sound so good, does it?<\/p>\n

At my church, there\u2019s a stream of folks who would say that, who believe that we should praise God FOR everything, good or evil. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m still not there. \u00a0So far, I can\u2019t bring myself to praise God for my friends\u2019 cancers or broken marriages or my inability to control my anger or my tongue. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not praising God FOR his death,\u201d I said, \u201cWe\u2019re praising God IN his death. \u00a0Because God tells us to praise IN ALL circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

So we gave it a try. \u00a0We praised God IN:<\/p>\n