Faith Matters 17: For the Gardner News, November 18, 2006
Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
A story from New Orleans tells of a pastor who went out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and amidst the overwhelming destruction encountered a woman who seemed to have lost almost everything she had. Strangely, she greeted him with the words, “God is good”. Taken aback, he just looked at her. She responded, “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.” What faith she must have, he thought. But as he walked away, he realized that she was right. “God is good, all the time!”
What could this woman of unflappable faith see that eludes us much of the time? As we survey the wreckage of aging bodies and crumbling lives, as we watch loved ones eaten away by cancer or loosing the ability to recognize us, how do we hold on to this kind of faith. The answer lies in gratitude—finding God’s blessings at all times and in all places. Gratitude is the most powerful force known to change lives and attitudes. Not only does it transform half-empty glasses into half-full ones, it transforms half-empty lives, with never enough of anything, into lives of contentment and appreciation for what is in front of us and what surrounds us.
We are drawn to those people who can see blessings in every situation. They glow with contentment and grace, even in the face of the worst kinds of adversity. We reach out to them and want to be in their company. Their spiritual grace and peace overflows from their lives into the life of others. Faced with illness or wracked with pain they can still give thanks for the presence of loved ones and even strangers who support them. They can feel God’s presence with them in their time of trial, and give thanks for that. They can look back on lives well and fully lived, no matter what circumstances they might have found themselves in. In the face of the death of a loved one, even within their grief and anger and loss, they can bless God for the promises of eternal life that is greater than their loss. Their faith strengthens others.
We admire them, but how do we join their company? How do we build lives of gratitude? One way to do this is to begin and end each day with prayer. Many of the spiritual giants of our traditions have said, “there is really only one prayer, for all times and places: Thank you, God!” In the morning give God thanks for the gift of life, and for the New England beauty surrounding us. Give thanks for family and home and the opportunities awaiting throughout the day. At the end of the day, give God thanks for the blessings God has brought: encounters with family or friends, moments of unanticipated joy, quite moments of awareness of God’s presence with you. Don’t take them for granted! Savor them, and give God thanks!
Begin each meal with a prayer of thanks! Thank God for whatever food has been provided, for the friends or family, or acquaintances you are sharing mealtime with. We have lost this simple ritual of building gratitude into our day. It can be as simple as a silent prayer of thanks before grabbing a sandwich or fast food. More powerfully, it can be a time of sharing around the table with your family what each person is thankful for that day.
Perhaps this Thanksgiving, as you gather with your family and friends, instead of trying to recruit someone who is still comfortable “saying grace” over the turkey and fixings, it might be a time to invite each person to share one or two or even three things that they feel grateful to God for that day. Give it a try, and see how it opens hearts and conversations as we reflect on and share God’s blessings in our lives. “God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!”