ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
How time flies! We have nearly completed half the year. Some will make plans on what to do for the second half of the year. Some make plans for a change in career. Others will be starting their career. Some will be starting a new relationship or a new family. As we look forward in life, let us never forget to look back at the year. Let us all learn to ponder and reflect upon our lives, fill our heart with an attitude of gratitude towards God. God has been a great blessing unto us. Let us not forget our Creator. Let us be thankful Christians: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Ps. 100:4).
Though we know that we ought to be thankful to God always, many times, instead of being thankful, we often murmur and complain against God. We may not utter out such murmurings directly but many a time, we harbour such thoughts in our heart. When things do not happen according to what we expect, we murmur and complain. To murmur and complain is a sign of being unthankful unto God. One of the reasons why we are unthankful is we fail to see God’s hand in our lives. This happens because we have been living our lives by our own strength without God’s help. If you have not asked God for help, surely you would never see any reason to thank Him.
That is why sometimes God makes us plunged into dire circumstances – situations beyond our own abilities to resolve them. It is in the face of such adverse difficulties that we could not do otherwise but cry unto God to deliver us. God is always faithful. He will be found of those who seek Him. He will deliver them. Hence, we should not despair if life seems difficult for us. It is God’s means for us to draw close to Him and to strengthen our faith in Him.
A thankful Christian is one who has much experience living his life and walking close to his Master. He acknowledges that the Almighty God is in control of all circumstances in his life. He sees the hand of God working in him, guiding him and providing his need. Even behind seemingly frowning providence, he sees the smiling face of God.
If we live a life that is close to God, we would see God working clearly even in the midst of adversity. But many times, we often miss the silver lining behind every cloud. We fail to see the Lord’s providence and the occasions to give Him thanks in adverse circumstances. We always ponder why our cup is half-empty instead of seeing it as being half-filled. When given a doughnut, we only see the hole in the dough. And when we fail to see the Lord’s hand in our lives, it would be difficult for us to be thankful Christians.
It is only when we learn to see things in God’s perspective, and to delight to walk in His ways, then, thankfulness will be natural. Gratefulness and thankfulness are twins who are conjoined together. Gratefulness is an attitude of choice you make in life. You can choose to thank God or complain against God in every circumstance in life.
During last week, we had a church camp at Ipoh. This camp was only decided at the last minute. Just within a few months, we managed to book the hotel, got the registration done, coordinated with the hotel and developed the camp programme. As it was organised at the last minute, we did not manage to get camp speakers. Instead, our own pastors delivered the messages. What I could feel particularly in this camp, is the closeness of our people one to another in fellowship. We get ourselves organized in Grab-groups with ease, which surprised me greatly. I joked with them that there was not a single complaint received simply because there was no camp committee to complain to. If you were in that camp, you would experience a sense of gratefulness out of the hearts of the campers.
Being thankful to God is an attitude of our heart. Perhaps, being put in the same situation, another person may be filled with murmurings and complaints instead of thanksgiving. The one who is thankful will feel blessed while the one who complains will often feel frustrated with the same set of parameters happening in life. An attitude of gratitude will bring great blessings to one’s life. It will make him feel blessed all the time. On the other hand, an attitude of ingratitude will bring nothing but misery to one’s life. Hence, if we are to be happy and to rejoice in the Lord always, we must always possess an attitude of gratitude. Thanking God does not happen only when life is rosy. But thanking God also arises when life is full of thorns, and yet being able to see the good hand of the Lord in helping us through. In fact, sometimes when life is too rosy and we get so accustomed to blessings, we can take the blessings of God for granted. When we take the blessings of God without thanksgiving, it will surely be turned into misgiving.
My dear friends, do you possess an attitude of gratitude in your life? God has given you good health and strength. He has provided food and shelter for you. He has granted you the sufficient grace to live each day. Have you taken any of these for granted? When we come to church to worship, let us learn to fill our hearts with thanksgiving for every little thing which the Lord has blessed us. The bread provided on the table and the appetite to eat, the love in the family and fellowship of friends, the health to live and to worship the Lord. Let us remember the exhortation given unto us “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thes. 5:18). So, whether when times are good or bad, learn to thank God for helping you through. God owes us nothing. We owe Him everything which we possess in life. Let us bless the name of God forever. HCL.
