I reached for the doorknob, grateful to be home. It had been a pleasant outing, but there is no place like home.

Unlocking the door, I stepped inside, then wrinkled my nose. Something stunk!

My toddler followed me in and, a minute later, my husband entered carrying our baby in his bucket seat.

He sniffed and looked at me.

I shook my head. “It stinks in here.”

My husband set our baby down and moved to untie his shoes. “What’s making it smell so bad?”

I shrugged out of my light jacket. “Don’t know. Maybe we have a mold problem? Or a dead rodent?”

“Maybe we should get our furnace cleaned.”

“Yes. We might have to. This stink has been around for a while.”

As we stepped into the living room, I glanced at my husband. “Can you watch the kids while I go to the bathroom?”

Our two year old was already pulling out the paper and crayons. “Colour with me, Daddy.”

My husband began unbuckling our baby. “Yup. I’ll watch them.”

“Thanks!”

I headed for the bathroom. As I entered, I took a deep breath.

At least our bathroom didn’t stink anymore!

We had been under water restrictions for the past month during which our city urged everyone to conserve water wherever possible. This included a direct request to not flush toilets unless absolutely necessary. We were warned that non-compliance could result in a boil water advisory for everyone until they could flush the systems out in the Spring.

We certainly did not want that!

As we did our best to use less water. We quickly discovered why outhouses used to be outside the house… Without flushing every time, our bathroom quickly began to stink and that stench worked its way throughout our house.

Now that the water restrictions had been lifted, we could use water freely again.

What a wonderful thing to be able to flush! My appreciation for flush toilets reached new heights.

As I flipped on the light, I wondered, “Could the bathroom be the source of our entryway stink?”

The bathroom was on a different level of the house, and the stench in the bathroom had cleared up a few days ago. Perhaps, though, the foul air had made its way into the furnace system. The past couple of weeks had been comfortably warm so we hadn’t run our furnace. Now, as autumn drew near, the furnace had run a time or two, circulating whatever air was sitting in its ducts.

Maybe it was time to get the furnace cleaned as my husband had suggested.

Why do I share this smelly story? Because I see a valuable reminder for me in it that perhaps you will appreciate as well.

A flush toilet is one of those things that is taken for granted in my city, as is clean drinking water piped straight to every house.

I hardly think about it. I flush and move on with my day.

What else do I take for granted?

Do I take my family for granted, always assuming they will be there rather than being thankful for them?

Do I take a warm safe place to live for granted? Or the ability to read and write?

The list could go on. There is so much to be thankful for! 

Then my thoughts turn towards my relationship with Jesus? Do I take Him for granted? When was the last time I thanked God for inviting me to come before Him freely in prayer? 

Have I thanked Jesus today for enduring the cross so that I may have life? Or do I take that for granted? 

I was recently reading in the New Testament. In Romans 1:21, Paul talks about those who didn’t glorify God as God. God gave them freedom to follow their own desires and ideas though the end result was suffering.

That’s not all he said in that verse. Not only did these people not glorify God as God, they did not thank Him or show gratitude to Him.

When was the last time I stopped to thank God? Or do I forget to be grateful to Him?

Thanking God is an act of worship.

With Canadian Thanksgiving just past and American Thanksgiving coming soon, may I remember to thank God rather than take Him for granted. He is worthy of all my gratitude.

Here’s one of my favourite songs about thanking God. Do you have a favourite song for thanking God? Share it with us in the comments below.