Thursday, May 14, 2009

Learning to be Grateful - May 14, 2009

Good Thursday morning! Whee, the house got a bit cool last night, and I didn't even leave a window open. Mid-May and we still came close to the freezing mark early this morning. I believe we had the same temperature as Nome, AK when I got up today. Just when you think spring has arrived... :-)

Do you want to be more like Jesus? We all do once we come to believe in Him. One way to begin the journey is to develop our gratitude. Have you ever been thanked by a wild animal? No, me neither; the attitude of gratitude is just not in them. While we are not wild animals, we still must learn to be grateful. The difficult part of that is not in being grateful for the good things. Most anyone can find gratitude when a rich uncle drops a few million bucks on 'em. We need to learn gratitude when a serious trouble comes our way. Now, we are not expected to run out into the streets shouting out our gratitude for tragedy. If a tornado flattens your town, you might meet with more than a concerned look if you run out shouting "Yay, all our homes were flattened!" Someone might be moved to flatten you in that case. We are not fools running around thanking God for deaths and illness in our lives or in those close to us. However, we do learn to be grateful for the trials that come our way, for God's providence, for life and joy and peace in Christ, and for the growth in our faith that comes from our pain and sorrow. We also learn to be grateful for each other, and that is not always easy. :-) We do sometimes make it difficult for another person to be grateful for us. Perhaps that's only me that does that. :-)

Take a moment to reflect on your journey in Christ today. I think you may find that He has brought you further than you might think!

Bucky

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