"As we discover and practice the heartfelt language of gratitude, our native tongue of self-focused dissatisfaction begins to fade."
So I've noticed lately a whole "thing" where people are kind of shaming others for expressing gratitude. You've probably seen the little quote about welcome to November where people who have complained all year long now start being thankful for one month. At first I laughed, but then I thought, so what? So what if they have been a negative Nancy all year long, and now they have turned into a positive Polly. Isn't that a good thing?
In this time, when it seems like complaint, dissatisfaction, and groaning are the dominate nature of people, isn't gratitude expressed, of any kind, a bright light in the dark? I think so. So why are we so cynical when it comes to people expressing gratitude? Why are we so disbelieving and leery of it?
"In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy."
"A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset. When you wake up, take a second to think about what a privilege it is to simply be alive. The moment we start acting like life is a blessing I assure you it will start to feel like one."
"It doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full. Be thankful that you have a glass and be grateful that there's something in it."
"Choose to see the world through grateful eyes. It will never look the same way again."
"When life gets sour... sweeten it with gratitude."
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you can't weep or feel sad. That's not it at all. Believe me friends, I have weeped for, cried over, and have felt great sorrow for many events that have happened in my life. I still do. I'm not an advocate of the stiff upper lip thing. At all. But I do know that I can't just taste the bitterness of life. I have to look for the sweetness. The sweetness is what gives me hope. The sweetness is what sustains me. There are some days that I can only find one thing to be grateful for-- but when I find it-- I hold on to that sucker with clenched fists-- because I know that a full life includes all things. A full life contains sorrow, joy, laughter, weeping, anger, hope, blessing, loss, love, smallness, and bigness. But a truly full life, one lived to God's high standards, must also include a large dose of gratitude.
Here's the difference between gratitude and ingratitude. Ingratitude is self focused. Gratitude is God focused. Ingratitude is always lacking. Gratitude is full and overflowing. Ingratitude involves blind comparison. Gratitude involves shared joy. Gratitude is the key to living a full, joyful, abundant life.
"Being grateful for what you have doesn't mean you have to resign thinking that anything could be better. Grateful and complacent are two different words. Being grateful while striving to improve will allow you to be happy every step of the way."
I'll be honest with you. Somedays gratitude is easy for me. And some days it's harder. But everyone has those days and moments. When I find myself having a pity party--I make myself stop right where I am and take a hard look around me to find something to be grateful for. For me, gratitude brings life to my bones. Here are a few personal examples:
Ingratitude says: My mom has terminal cancer that is spreading throughout her body.
Gratitude says: Although my mom has cancer, she is LIVING with cancer. We are blessed to have her still with us on this earth. Many others have not had this privilege. Thank you God for the extra time spent with my mom. The earth is a better place because she is still on it.
Ingratitude says: My 16 year old son is driving me to an early grave with his antics.
Gratitude says: I still have my 16 year old son. At this point in their life, my in-laws had already buried their 15 year old son. I have the privilege to laugh with, hug on, worry over, yell at, and love on my son. Thank you God for the time I get to spend with my son-- for the joy and blessings he brings to my life and the lives of others.
Ingratitude says: I am living far away from my family and home state.
Gratitude says: My husband is employed. We are very well provided for. I have gained an amazing array of new friends who I consider family. Thank you God for adding friends and provision to my life.
Ingratitude says: It's supposed to be rainy and cold the next few days.
Gratitude says: I have a warm home to take shelter in. The rain and cold will a beautiful foggy landscape for me to view. I will have a day indoors to do some work in the house. And at least it's not snowing. Thank you God for shelter during rainy days and thank you that it's not going to snow.... because I really have no love for snow except on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
"When thanks to God becomes a habit, so joy in God becomes your life."
And so, I am going to be one of those people who continues to express my gratitude, and I'm not apologizing for it. I am in deep need of gratitude in my life. Without it, my life would not be full. No apologies. Sorry, I'm not sorry for expressing myself. So, in the words of one my favorite bloggers, "You can pry my expressions of gratitude from my cold dead hands." And if I notice that a certain negative Nancy suddenly becomes a positive Polly, then I am going to be happy for them and celebrate with them. Maybe, this will become a habit for them going forward. If not, I think that any expression of gratitude is a good thing, regardless.
I will leave you with a few more photos from my walks around the woods near my house. I am grateful that I've had several mornings where the weather has been nice enough for me to go out and capture some photographs.
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