This week I read a funny and fascinating article which reported on one-star reviews left for some of America’s most beautiful national parks. Yosemite, known for beauty, was described by one reviewer as “trees that block views and too many grey rocks.” The Grand Canyon which is awe inspiring to most was reviewed as “just a hole, a very, very large hole.”
Human beings can be incredibly difficult to please! Complaining is sometimes more a habit than a choice, a negative certainly. It is our nature to focus on the anomaly rather than the usual, to note the spot or stain first!
The old story of Israel’s emigration from Egypt to the “Promised Land” includes one account after another of the people’s ingratitude. God gave them manna, free and perfect food daily, and how did they respond? With complaint! “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” Somehow, they forgot that the food they had eaten in Egypt was purchased by their slavery.
The tragedy is that we are not all that different too often. When something disturbs our comfort or shifts us into a situation that requires us to adapt, what is our default response? Complaint! In the Summer we are too hot, in winter, too cold. Seeing our neighbor well-dressed suddenly we conclude that our clothes are rags in comparison.
Have you allowed yourself to slip into constant complaints or criticism? I confess that I have failed in that regard too often as well.
Two choices will make a difference for us.
The first is genuine humility, a refusal of an attitude of entitlement. When that thought “I deserve” arrives, kill it immediately by confessing that you are no more entitled that anyone else to whatever it is that has seized your imagination. Kneeling before God with a prayer to accept this day from His hand helps to keep us humble.
The second is the surrender of our will. We can learn to say this with conviction - “You are God, I am not” Giving ourselves to Him to use as He chooses, where HE chooses, with whatever resources He gives provides fertile soil in which contentment grows. Please do not think I am describing a life of apathy! Our passion cannot be for our own agenda, but rather for His.
Paul’s words can be more than a motto. He says “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” (Philippians 4)
In a life of humility and surrender, the grace of gratitude grows. as a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s life that can flourish. The Word is simple and clear - "No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT) I pray for a better grade in gratitude and thus, a better life in 2019.
So, let me put an question to you to will be a key to
personal happiness.
Does gratitude flavor your life?
Are the words that fill up the air and your first thoughts shaped by an attitude of appreciation and gratitude? Want a better estimate? Ask your spouse or a trusted friend for a grade! In the ordinary situations of life are you more prone to gripe and complain over minor inconvenience or have you learned how to let go of self-centeredness that blocks sincere gratitude?
Let me suggest that you join me in a prayer of praise, true worship, heart-deep expressions of your thankfulness for His love. May the light of Jesus shine brightly in us as we break the cycle of complaint, replacing our gripes with ceaseless thanks.
Here is a word from the Word.
"This is the day
the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God, and
he has made his light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal
procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt
you.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever."
(Psalm 118:24-29, NIV)
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