Gratitude. It’s easy isn’t it? [A Guest Post from Andy B]

As part of the 2022 Gratitude Challenge, we are focusing on the abundant blessings we are thankful for in our lives. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul points out that we can thank the Lord because He has already blessed us with “every spiritual blessing.”

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…

Ephesians 1:3 (English Standard Version)

On numerous occasions in the Scriptures, the psalmists remind us that we should praise the Lord for His goodness to us. They remind us that we live a life of thankfulness and gratitude, rejoicing because of the steadfast love of God that endures forever.

This morning, I am grateful for the opportunity to share the words of my fellow Christian blogger from across the pond, Andy Berry.

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Gratitude. It’s easy isn’t it?

As ChristiansAs people we have much to be grateful for.

If you’re reading this right now it’s either because you have sight, and a working phone or computer or, perhaps, because your screen reader is letting you enjoy the written word even if sight is something that you struggle with.

We have much to be grateful for – so an article on gratitude should be easy. Right? Jesus loves me, so that’s that then!! Only, what struck me was not about being grateful for the good, but being grateful for the bad too. Life is made of both the good and the bad, and we “can’t have one without the other”.

It’s easy to be grateful when you’re handed a car to enable you to get a job. It’s not so easy to be grateful when your car breaks down and you lose your job.

Jonah reminds me of this very issue: he was hot, so asked God for shade; God gave him shade, but he was soon complaining when the plant shrivelled up again. He missed, I feel, theappropriate level of gratitude for what God had – miraculously – just done for him. But why was that? Why do we remember the bad so much more easily and vividly than the good?

If you take a look at the life of King David you see a wide range of utterly unacceptable behaviour. I won’t list them here, but there are plenty of us who do much less bad stuffthroughout our lives. So why is he mentioned so positively in the bible? Because David, of course, was described as a man after God’s own heart.

He got stuff right and he got stuff wrong, but he also knew who God was, regardless – even if he did, routinely, hit the mute button to God when he wanted to do something that God did not want him to do.

So why is it so hard to be grateful, consistently? Well, I think it’s simply because we’re human! That is not an excuse for a bad attitude by the way, but it is something of an explanation.

So, if you drop half your eggs on your kitchen floor, knock over that last mug from your grandchildren, accidentally kick the cat in the process and have a mini meltdown, please know you’re in good company. But please also know that there is still much to be grateful for!

And let yourself off the hook because you’re in good company. You might want to go make up with your cat, and ask your grandchildren for a new mug. And then be glad some of your eggs survived.

One last thought on gratitude from me – being grateful doesn’t mean we are obliged to move through life like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music, with a song for every occasion and a smile no matter what.

Gratitude is more than just being grateful. It is our very approach to life and, as followers of Jesus Christ, our gratitude should always be on display.

You and I will be known by the action of our lives, more than the words. So do people see, hear, feel and know gratitude in you? Because it is more than a feeling. It is an action!

Andy B

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I want to thank Andy Berry from the BerryBunch for sharing this wonderful post focusing on gratitude. I pray you enjoyed reading it as well. Feel free to leave a “like” or share a “comment.”

Peace and love,

The Devotional Guy™

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