Being Beloved

Gratitude

" For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21 -

Sometimes, these post come from my morning quiet time, this morning I wrote this down:

“If I am grateful and make a conscience effort to experience fully whatever I am grateful for by writing it down or even just sitting quietly within the moment while noticing how my human senses are being engaged, it is right then that gratitude is being kindled to life within me.”

I have a feeling that many creative people have difficulties with the habit of gratitude. Sometimes I think I can make something just a little better. A bit more perfected. One more thing needs to be added or taken away.

It is something like the children’s book, “If You Give A Pig A Pancake.” One gift leads to one more want. Of course the pig will want syrup. When do we finally say it is enough?

Healthy human minds naturally want to work and to create. There is nothing wrong with that. Something goes wrong though when I don’t notice one thing at a time. Whenever I want to steamroll ahead without taking each individual thing or moment or person for exactly what it is. I don’t get to even know it well enough to consider it might already be enough. It might already be the good gift that God is giving.

I am reminded that God does immeasurably more than I ask for. He does things in such a way that I could have never imagined it being done that way. The Creator is so much wiser then us, His creations that try to create worlds of our own. God’s ways seem much more far reaching.

All of His beloved son’s and daughter’s, He sees all. I like to think about Jesus walking away from the multitude to save the one. Perhaps, we have all been that precious one before or will be in the future. Even as weak and dumb sheep that get lost easily we have power, we have strength. I think part of that power is kindled by slowing down long enough to be grateful.

To note it down in a journal or say to yourself every time it rains I will remember this. It doesn’t matter really how you keep track of gratitude, it’s more important to experience it because you want too, not because you have too.

I find myself more alert when I am grateful for the moment right in front of me. Discontent is a thief while gratitude is a sort of upside down gift. God gives us goodness. Sometimes big miracles but most of the time God’s goodness is in the ordinary day and life.

 Gratitude is a vital part of Christian life. Author and critic G.K. Chesterton calls it “the highest form of thought.” It is a gift we give to ourselves. We have to seek and allow ourselves to experience it but God is the one who fills us up and kindles us back to life.

How unkind and ungrateful I have been. “Thank you God, I’ll just make a few changes to make it fit into my world a little more comfortably.” I haven’t spent enough time on being grateful, or really noticing, partly because I think sometimes I did most of the work and of course God already knows I’m thankful.

Maybe gratitude is opposition to pride. Gratitude is realizing by the grace of God I’ve been brought through hard and hurtful things. Gratitude is saying thank you for this gift that really I didn’t do the work to get. Grace, that is grace.

They are like two sisters, Gratitude and Grace. Grace created every raw ingredient and Gratitude takes all that is created and she makes tea or cake. Gratitude says thank you and Grace also smiles because she too is thankful for all that Gratitude has done. Without Grace or without Gratitude there is no ability to enjoy anything.


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