GRATEFULNESS

December is harvesting time and planting time for the grain producers of the country. For me as a child, it was the time we went to my grandfather’s farm to celebrate Christmas.

It was a time of an abundance of cool drinks and ginger beer, sweets and a new torch (last year’s being broken long ago). It was a time for shooting birds and hunting rabbits – what a wonderful time for me as a child. My heart is filled with thankfulness for such unforgettable childhood years.

My message today is one I learnt from my grandfather there in the dark storeroom (before Eskom power). He was busy handing Christmas presents to the farm workers. I knew what all the presents were, because we went to town with him to buy them and they were not nicely wrapped like ours. He gave the first worker a pair of socks and the question came: “Is that all?”

I knew there was more to come, but then my grandfather did something I, as a child, did not understand immediately. He took the socks back and said that if one could not say thank you, you do not get a present. I assume that later, when all the others had received their presents, the pair of socks was returned to the particular worker, because his gift was that of giving, but I will never forget it: Gratefulness.

When during the coming days we remember Jesus’ coming to the earth, it also fills me with an overwhelming sense of gratefulness. Even if it is just for a pair of socks in a dry and difficult year. Yes, there are those of us who experienced abundance and for whom thankfulness most likely comes a lot easier. But when God gazes through the rooms of my heart searching for the fruits of 2013, I sincerely hope that He will find gratefulness in there somewhere.

Grateful for the loved ones He placed around me, for health and for His forgiveness of my shortcomings and for when I acted improperly against my neighbour. Maybe there are still some unforgiveness issues we have to deal with this year; or maybe it was a drought year in your heart with regard to all the good deeds you could have done, but never got to. Possibly your year was so busy that you never heard what your children were dreaming about.

Let us then, like the Word says, give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18). Grain SA has also had a very full year and a good “harvest”. We will report fully about this at the 2014 Congress and in the Grain SA Annual Report, but now we wish with you all to thank our Heavenly Father for His blessings this past year.

May you show happiness and gratefulness this Christmas to Him who came down to Earth to give significance and meaning to our lives.

Jannie de Villiers, CEO