Thankful

This evening, Gideon and I were driving home and I was trying to explain to him what it means to be thankful. So, I started telling him all of the things we can be thankful for - Nana, Papa, Grandma, Granddad, cousins, our house, our toys, etc. I said, "Gideon, what else are you thankful for?" Silence. "Are you thankful for our church?"

"Oh-tay." (Which means yes). "And for Daddy's church."

"Oh, you're thankful for Daddy's church too?" (I didn't realize they were different.) :-)

"And for Mommy's church."

"Oh, you're thankful for Mommy's church, too?"

"Oh-tay. And for the cross."

I wasn't sure I heard him right. "You're thankful for what?"

"For the cross."

I'll admit, I completely started tearing up at this point. Now, to explain the full story, our church has recently begun construction on a very large cross that will be on campus for all the world to see. My dad's company has been overseeing construction of it, and we always talk about how Papa is helping build the cross. So, when I mentioned being thankful for the church, I know he mentioned the cross because it's going to be right by the church. But, here's the thing - it's not there yet.

But you know what is there? A fifty-foot Christmas tree.

I was amazed that of all the things for Gideon to mention being thankful for in relation to the church, he mentioned the cross, which he hasn't seen, instead of the Christmas tree, which he has seen.

What an awesome lesson for us all to remember as Thanksgiving rolls into Christmas this year!

All I could really say, through my tears, was, "Me too, Gideon. I'm thankful for the cross too." But what I didn't tell him is that I'm also thankful for a little boy who has no clue as to what the Cross is all about, but somehow already senses that it's important enough to be thankful for.