Gratitude is Brave

November – The month of gratitude. This is the month when the typically disgruntled complainer joins the perpetually positive proclaimer in taking even a moment to remember something they are thankful for. There is a trend on Facebook that has participants writing one thing a day that they are thankful for. I, personally, love this trend! Even if it is only once a day and even if it is only online, there is nothing that is bad about being thankful.

So, I want to explore this thing we call gratitude. Grab that napkin that’s sitting under your teacup and a pen that hopefully works and take a moment, slow your thoughts and remember. Remember what you are thankful for. It can be simple or complex. What is on your heart? Go ahead, write it down. Try to find 5 or 10 things to jot down.

OK, now you have your list, the things that are fresh in your heart that you are grateful for.  Now, look again, how many of you have written down on your paper the words “trial”, “trouble”, “struggle”, “conflict”, or an item that represents a deep pain or intense experience that you have gone through? No need to raise your hand. Just think.

Truly, it is so much easier to thank the Lord for things we love and the things that are good. I am sincerely thankful to my Lord for fresh water, clean air, kind friends, loving family, food on my table, freedom to worship, and the list goes on and on.

But, how often do you say to the Lord, “Thank you for the trial I just experienced”. Or, “Thank you for the struggle I am currently going through.” Oh, but it is truly a bit frightening to say those words, is it not? Because we know that those words don’t just come in a flash but that it will be a jagged journey that eventually culminates in those statements.

These are the words of David, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees”. Psalm 119:71

Oh! But really? It was good for me to be afflicted? YES!

Can you live without the Word? The voice of God? The presence of the Healer? I know that I can NOT. I can not live without the decrees of the Lord. I must know them, I must learn them. I will simply waste away to nothing without the food and water for my soul!  And how do I learn? Is it not through lessons? Often the painful kind? Too true.

But when I come to this table of feasting on the decrees, the table of His Word, the table of learning,  I can’t come ready to eat the meat if all I have drunk in the past was milk. So, how do I prepare my spirit for receiving and learning, and strengthen my soul so that it doesn’t crumble on the perilous journey to the table?

Bits of gratitude. Little bits of thankfulness. No less genuine.

“I never stop wanting to learn the hard [deep genuine thankfulness] for the deathbeds and dark skies and the prodigal sons. But I accept this is the way to begin, and all hard things come in due time and with practice.” Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

“The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world.” Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

If you are brave enough to be counted among the brave that she mentions, then one thing is certain, you will learn the language of gratitude that you will find brings unspeakable peace during the storms of life.

Now, return to your list. Add to it as things come to your mind throughout your day. Ask the Father where you are in the journey to becoming one of the brave. Maybe, just maybe, jot down the hard thing. The one you are not quite sure if you are thankful for just yet. And just see what the Healer does with your faith.

(P.S. If you are new to this blog and you are possibly, like me, a bit cynical about the author, and wondering, "What troubles could she have possibly gone through?" You can rest assured, I have endured a number of trials that I feel were very difficult to be thankful for. But, yes, today I can humbly say I am thankful for the experiences and the things I endured. I have been prodded toward my Father God in ways I didn't ask for, but am deeply grateful for today. So, if you would like just a glimpse into some of my journey you can explore some of my  past posts. It is there in bits and pieces just like my heart has been from time to time.)