Gratitude Is What Makes What You Have Enough
I believe the most transformational characteristic one can develop in life is an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude changes everything. You can be very successful, but it will never be enough if you are not grateful. On the other hand, you can possess very little, but if you are thankful, you’ll be rich.
The Apostle Paul once wrote from a Roman prison cell that he had learned the secret of contentment, no matter his circumstances. This attitude paved the way for him to tell the church to rejoice at least five times in this short letter. Nearly everything the prisoner writes in this letter expresses gratitude—even those circumstances that appear terrible on the surface. Paul could turn seemingly unredeemable circumstances into occasions of joy.
I want to be like Paul. Life will deal us many bad hands, but finding contentment, joy, and gratitude always brings light to dark places. Gratitude makes what you have enough.
That is why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. As a Christian Pastor, some would say, “Don, how can Thanksgiving trump Christmas and Easter?” The reason is simple. If you don’t get Thanksgiving right, you’ll never fully appreciate Christmas or Easter. Gratitude is what makes Christmas and Easter worth celebrating. If you are not grateful for the birth and resurrection of Jesus, what are you left with?
I am not proposing that gratitude will make all of life hunky dory. I am sure Paul experienced some “moments” while suffering in jail. But those moments of suffering did not define him.
Living a life of gratitude will transform your life. I would go so far as to say that this kind of life is the best anyone can live. So, how do you get there?
Start and finish every day mentally thanking God. I guarantee you that you can always find reasons to give thanks. Always. That attitude will send you into your day at peace.
I remember when my wife was dying of cancer, she always found things to be thankful to possess. Often, when I was angry with God, she was at peace. “Don, think of all the things we have shared. We’ve been all over the world. We’ve helped many people. Please think of this beautiful home in which we live and the place we enjoy living. Think of our family, Don. We both know our family is so blessed compared to many we have tried to help. Consider all our years together. And, look at how God is using this illness to change lives.” It was hard to argue with that, though I sometimes tried. She always won.
Gratitude is the tool faith, hope, and love use to express themselves. Faith without gratitude is empty, hope without gratitude is hollow, and love without gratitude is phony.
If you are in a circumstance where gratitude is in short supply, write down seven things for which you are thankful. Tape them on your bathroom mirror, your dashboard, and your computer. Force yourself to face reality, and reality is that you have things to be thankful for.
Don’t miss “thankful” moments. Yesterday, I attended my first book fair ever and did so as an author. I drove an hour and a half to a church in northern Pennsylvania, set up a display that cost a good bit, and sat for three hours. I sold one book. Woot! Woot! But at one point, I thought, Who gets to do this? I’ve set up a table advertising my own company, I am displaying a book I wrote about something I love, met wonderful people, and learned a boatload about the bookselling world. Plus, I didn’t have to watch my Hoosiers get trampled by those nasty Buckeyes. Now, that’s a good day. I thanked God. Thankful moments are all around you every day. Open your eyes and respond appropriately.
Get one or two people around you who help you see the sunny side of life. Some folks will help you dig your grave before you are dead. Others will take the shovel from you and remind you it is not time to start digging yet. You still have life to live, get on with it.
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”1 Thessalonians 5:18
There are few guarantees in life, but I will tell you that if you learn to live a life of gratitude and thanksgiving, your life will be better. But if you don’t learn this art, your life will always suck. It will never be enough.
Gratitude is what makes what you have enough.
Live Inspired
Don Mark
