An Attitude of Gratitude

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

I must admit that sometimes I have a problem with gratitude. Often I am so consumed by the hustle and bustle of everyday life and so wrapped up in my trivial problems that I really fail to thank God for those things that I should be truly thankful for. I thought about this over the weekend and decided to make this the topic of my article. I think God was putting this on my heart with two incidents that occurred during this time period.  I had a Compassion Team meeting at my house on Saturday and several members of my team had just returned from Tanzania and had stories to share. I also started thinking about my negativity and how often my prayers are about those trivial things. I pray that the pain in my knee might be better, I pray that I might have a good sales day at work, I even pray that God will make the humidity go away. I mean really....here is God looking down on all of us and sees all the suffering that is going on through out the world and I am literally taking his time with these types of prayers. Get real! I must admit that I am really not as shallow as I am making my self sound. My prayers are often more substantial and do offer praises but how many times do we just throw those types of prayers up to Him and ask for something that really is not that important. Our attitude is too often one of wishing rather than thanking.

The team that returned from Tanzania discovered as I did when I went to Honduras that gratitude is a big part of the people's lives. It is just one of those upside-down things that we as Christians always need to get used to. Those with the least have the most gratitude while those that have the most tend to expect more. Those that I visited in Honduras were just so grateful that we would even take the time to visit and be a part of their lives. I was given small souvenirs that probably cost them more than they could afford yet it meant the world to them to give them to me. Compassion staff repeatedly thanked us for our sponsorship yet it is them that work day by day and side by side with those that needed help. We visited shacks that the people called homes and they went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. When I returned from Honduras and my friends came back from Tanzania the general feeling we have is one of being very uncomfortable. We have stocked pantries, ipods and bottled water. There they are lucky to be able to get a decent meal each day.

So I sit here and wonder what God must really think about me? I do good things and yet I seem so wrapped up in myself. I must seem like a whining four year old. I must be like that spoiled child that I know needs nothing more yet always gets what he wants. The amazing thing though is that regardless God loves me unconditionally. He loves us just as we love our own children when they cry and complain. Which now brings me full circle....It is now my prayer for myself and for others that we really try to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. If we take a moment and really like at the whole picture we can't help but to be thankful. No matter what we think we need we really don't. Despite our trials and pains God can use everything for His glory. If God never did anything else for us other than send his son to die on the cross for us and give us forgiveness for our sins he would still be deserving of our overwhelming gratitude. But he has done so much more and continues to do so....how can our attitude not be one of gratitude.

Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 17 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.