"Be Ye Thankful"

Alex & Pat Ogden

Parents give their children chores to do for a variety of reasons. It is mainly a way for us as parents to teach our children about responsibility. It is also a way of distributing the load among the family members so no one member (usually Mom) is stuck with the whole load.

A few years ago Pat prepared a very detailed list of chores which needed to be done around the house. To encourage the kids to do their jobs without complaint she compiled the following list of things for which to be thankful and insisted each child read over the list before beginning their work. It shows that another lesson we can teach our children while doing chores is about being thankful to the Lord for all the rich blessings He has given us. With only minor revisions here is what she wrote:

Before you start to grumble and make excuses for not working, think about the following:

Thank God for the trash -- it represents a number of blessings He gave us this week (milk to drink, food to eat). Food scraps represent our over abundance to the point of having leftovers to throw out. Tags off of new clothes we bought. Newspapers we enjoy reading (thank God you can read and even see). Drier lint -- yes, drier lint! I'm thankful for having a drier and washer to use. I haven't forgotten the hassle of not having one so be thankful.
When you pick up your clothes, thank God that you have so many from which to choose.
When you make your beds, thank God that you have the comfort of a soft mattress and enough blankets.
When you vacuum, thank God for carpet instead of hardwood floors which would need mopping too and thank Him for that vacuum cleaner. It beats sweeping!
When you clean out a chair, thank God that we have such comfortable chairs to use.
When you clean a spot out of the carpet, thank God for the food or drink that you enjoyed that caused the spot in the first place.
When you pick up shoes and socks, thank God that you have so many pairs.
When you dust, thank God for the tables that you rest your feet on in the evenings and the knickknacks that make our home pleasant to look at. Think how drab it would be with nothing to decorate.
When you clean the toilet, thank God for indoor plumbing. Believe me, it's a blessing! If you've been in a Port-a-John, you know what I mean.
When you clean the tub, thank God for running water and soap.
When you get tired, thank God for your health that you have ability to work and play and rest.
When you pass by your brother or sister, thank God for them and their ability to help so you don't have to work alone.
When you put away Dad's things, thank God for a father who loves you so, who is there for you, who is ahead of you on life's road and can tell you what's coming your way. Thank God for a dad that cares for your soul.
When you pass me, thank God for me because you have a mom who loves you more than you could possibly understand (until you have children of your own), who prays for wisdom to raise you and guide you, who prays for your soul to be saved from evil, who prays that I've done enough right to give you what you need to survive this troubled world and make the choices that will save you in the end.
Each of you clean one mirror in the house and as you see yourself, thank God that you are wonderfully made, that you are healthy, intelligent, etc. That you have so much, that you have no deformities.
Every time you bend, move, pickup something etc., thank God that you can (some are too ill to do even that right now).
Smile as you work, and remember that from the day you were born til you ride in a hearse, no matter what happens in life it could always be worse.