October 21, 2019
Greetings in Jesus Christ,
Someone wise once said, “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” One of my all-time favorite Psalms says,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1). In I Thessalonians 5:18, Paul the apostle wrote these words,
“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It’s my belief that gratitude should fill the Christian’s life. And yet, if I’m honest, find that gratitude can seem very elusive. Why am I bent toward ingratitude? Perhaps it’s because we have so much financially. Or, maybe it’s the daily battle we wage with the sinful nature. Most likely, it’s all the above.
The British writer G. K. Chesterton said, “Thanks is the highest form of thought, and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Are you grateful? We miss out on so much when we fail to live gratefully.
I think there are many reasons why gratitude can seem so elusive. Why aren’t we grateful with all that God has given to us? When I think about ingratitude I think of three common reasons. They are: (1) We often look at what we don’t have, (2) we buy into advertising, and (3) we try to feed our greatest need with things other than God.
If you’re anything at all like me, we tend to dwell on what we don’t have, not on what we do have. Wishing for something isn’t necessarily wrong. But wishing does necessarily encourage gratitude either. I believe that gratitude calls us to move our eyes from the things I don’t have to the things I do have. It means saying there is good in my life. In addition to that, gratitude takes time to celebrate the blessings received. What are some of your blessings? How has God blessed you and your family?
In my observation, American advertising persuades us towards ingratitude. Madison Avenue spends billions each year to make us ungrateful. For instance, HGTV shows us how beautiful our homes could be if we only had $50,000 and a professional crew. “If only” is the prayer behind ingratitude, and it’s everywhere in our culture. Sadly, our society’s gravitational pull is already toward ingratitude.
In my opinion, we have an innate desire for food, shelter, friendship, health, and happiness. To be sure, these appetites aren’t bad in and of themselves. As a matter of fact, they can be good. In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, describes our need for God this way:
“He has put eternity into man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). St. Augustine, an early Church Father, is famously quoted as having said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” We have a hunger for God and only God can fill that need. If we try to feed that need for the Lord with other things we will find a deep lacking in our lives.
Of course, by God’s grace, I believe, we can cultivate gratitude but, how? How do we cultivate gratitude? I want to share two simple ideas: look to Jesus and allow Him to change our thoughts.
To begin with, remember, Jesus Christ is the One who brings true joy and contentment in life. Indeed, the Lord brings true satisfaction in our lives. Cultivating your relationship with God through Jesus builds true contentment in our hearts. How do we cultivate that relationship with the Lord? Hearing the preaching of the Gospel, meditating on the Word of God, receiving the Sacraments, and worshiping God through prayer and song are some ways to cultivate our walk with God. Further, we need God’s people in our lives as well.
And second, with God’s help, seek to exchange ingratitude with thanksgiving. With the Spirit’s empowerment, pray that you will be able to catch the messages of ingratitude around us and we can start supplanting ungrateful thoughts with prayers filled with gratitude. Be sure to take times of identifying and celebrating blessings in our days, our weeks, our months, and our years. Personally speaking, I have found that celebrating blessings from God really does open our eyes to see and celebrate God’s goodness.
Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “… it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” I agree with Pastor Bonhoeffer, don't you?
I love being your pastor!
As always, I wish you all His very best.
Gratefully Yours,
