We all need to reflect on gratitude.
The simple thanks for seeing what is, rather than what is not.
For the greatest treasures are nearly always the most simple.
And gratitude has the benefit of being the opposite of a haughty ego.
“Your complaints are not over the lack of necessities but the abundance of benefits. You bellyache over the frills, not the basics; over benefits, not essentials. The source of your problems is your blessings.” José gave me a lot for my dollar; he gave me a lesson on gratitude. Gratitude. More aware of what you have than what you don’t. Recognizing the treasure in the simple— a child’s hug, fertile soil, a golden sunset. Relishing in the comfort of the common— a warm bed, a hot meal, a clean shirt.
-Max Lucado, Six Hours One Friday (Amazon)
How often are we caught up in our lack of benefits, instead of being thankful for our many necessities?
And at the same time we are blind to the simple treasures that we see everyday.
Shame on us for having such a poor prospective, which is, after-all, the key to gratitude.
“I want to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude, of groundedness, of enough, even while I’m longing for something more. The longing and the gratitude, both. I’m practicing believing that God knows more than I know, that he sees what I can’t, that he’s weaving a future I can’t even imagine from where I sit this morning.”
-Shauna Niequist, Bread And Wine (Amazon)
