Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

The story is told of a bird that lived in the desert, very sick, no feathers, nothing to eat and drink, no shelter to live in. One day a dove was passing by.

The sick bird stopped the dove and asked, “Where are you going?”

The dove replied, “I’m going to heaven.”

So the sick bird said, “Please find out for me when my suffering will come to an end.”

The dove promised he would and flew on to heaven, where he shared the message of the sick bird with the angel at the gate.

The angel said, “For the next 7 years of its life, the bird has to suffer like this, no happiness until then.”

The dove said, “When the sick bird hears this he’ll get disheartened. Could you suggest any other solution for this?"

The angel replied, “Tell him to recite this verse: ‘Thank you, God, for everything.’"

The dove, on meeting the sick bird again, delivered the message of the angel to it.

After 7 days the dove was passing again and saw that the bird was very happy. Feathers grew on his body, a small plant grew up in the desert area, a small pond of water was there.

The bird was singing and dancing cheerfully. The dove was astonished. The angel had said there would be no happiness for the bird for the next 7 years. The dove reported all this to the angel at heaven’s gate.

The angel said, “Yes, it is true that there was no happiness for this bird for the next 7 years, but because the bird was reciting the words, 'Thank you God, for everything,' in every situation, his life changed. Whatever the situation the bird kept on reciting, 'Thank you God for everything,' and therefore, the 7 years got dissolved into 7 days.”

How powerful is the attitude of gratitude to bring about a shift in the way we perceive our circumstances. Why not start thanking Him now and see the change in your life?

Alter Your Altar (Ideas for Family Worship)

• Reflect on the seventh phrase of the “Lord’s Prayer,” (“And lead us not into temptation”). Ask Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How questions, and use your sharing time to focus your prayers.
• Set a timer for three minutes and see who can “out-thank” the others. Use a ball or potato and toss it to each other. The one who catches it must give a thanks before passing it to someone else.
• Take the Family Worship Challenge

Please Pray . . .

1. For victory over temptation.
2. For Olympia and Orcas Christian Schools.
3. “Thank you God for everything.”