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    A good king in Spain known as Alfonso XIX learned that the boys who served in his court were forgetting to pray before their meals. So he decided to teach them a lesson. He gave a banquet and invited them to attend. Midway through the dinner a ragged beggar came in, sat down, and began eating revenously. When he was finished, he went out without saying a word.

    “That ungrateful wretch ought to be whipped,” shouted the boys. “He ate the king’s food and never showed gratitude.”

“That ungrateful wretch ought to be whipped!”

    Quietly the king rose to his feet, and silence fell over the group. “Daily you have taken the rich blessings of life from the hand of your Heavenly Father,” said the king. “You’ve enjoyed His sunshine, breathed His air, eaten His food He has provided, and you have not bothered to say ‘thank you’ for any of them. You are more ungrateful than that beggar.”

    Each day we take for granted those blessings that God has provided us with. Like the boys, we accept them as commonplace, rather than the special gifts they are. During this holiday, we should carry the same attitude as the Psalmist who wrote, “Thank the Lord because he is good. His love continues forever. That is what those whome the Lord has saved should say...” (Psalm 107:1-2a NCV).

    As you gather for Thanksgiving meals with family and friends, don’t forget to take the time to be grateful to the King for what He has given to us.