One quality I’ve come to appreciate more and more in people as I grow older, is the quality of gratitude. An attitude of gratitude can also be contagious. Trusting disciples (I believe) do develop attitudes of gratitude because gratitude revolves around our having such a good God.
Ps. 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His love is everlasting.” We serve such a good God who is worthy of our trust. As we trust in Him, we come to realize He does have things under control. (even when it doesn’t feel like it)
Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite authors, writes of the spiritual work of gratitude…
“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let’s not be afraid to look as everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”
I must admit that at times I succumb to a pity party when my circumstances are not ideal, but I am trying to grow in gratefulness as I also grow in age. (May I grow up and not just old!)
An opposite of Gratitude is grumbling. (Matt. 20:1-16) This destroys both relationships and the church. Grumblers live in a state of self-induced stress. I know for sure, I don’t need to add to my own stress level by grumbling.
Here are some questions to ponder:
- What are some things I am thankful to the Lord for right now?
- What kinds of things seem to cause me to lose my joy?
- How can I cultivate an attitude of gratitude?
- What steps can I take to move past grumbling?
Bless you as you focus on our good God!
Thora
Wow! God’s timing is incredible!! I just woke up this day, with a bad attitude, grumbling and complaining about having to work tonight. I asked the HS to come in and change the way I think and “feel” about work, and to give me a grateful heart. I am so incredibly blessed to have a job at all, much less a rewarding career. God has spared me in HIs great love and for that, I am very grateful! Your article was so timely. George and I are both fond of Henri Nouwen’s works. :-0 Great post Thora! 🙂