Courageous Gratitude
Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, faced horrible circumstances on her journey to India. Bunked in a ship’s cabin infested with cockroaches and rats, she had a choice: complain or accept. Complaining wouldn’t change the situation— there was no other cabin. She chose to accept. Amy believed she was following God’s lead, doing "the King’s Business" as she called it, so she chose to accept rats were part of God’s plan for her journey. For a refined English woman, this was no small choice. It was a courageous act of contentment.
To further her resolve, and inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:18, she made a sign, "In everything, give thanks," then marked each corner with the initials of the hardships she was enduring. She gilded the edges and posted it on the cabin wall.
That’s one way to practice gratitude.
I think we make gratitude more complicated than it needs to be. Gratitude is merely the state of being grateful, and having thankfulness. Maybe "merely" should be deleted—it’s not always easy to be grateful. Being grateful is not hard when life is smooth as a silky dark chocolate truffle. But we struggle to choose gratitude when we are left holding the wreckage of our plans after a head-on collision with circumstances of of our control.
Choosing to be grateful (it is a choice) is easier when we remember that our God is good. We can accept hardships as good gifts when we acknowledge they are from a good God (Matthew 7:11; Psalm 84:11).
Gratitude, like any skill, gets easier with practice. Here are a few ways you can begin to practice gratitude today.
- Make a sign. Include your hardships, like Amy Carmichael. Thank you for my spinal cord injury because it’s a visible reminder of my dependence on you, Lord.
- Keep a gratitude journal. Add 1-5 things each day. The sunset. A new baby. The board meeting went well. Pain kept me up all night, but that gave me time to pray for my son.
- Write cards. Hand write a card to a friend sharing things about them that make you thankful. How has she encouraged you to rely on Jesus and see His grace? Use birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays as reminders.
- Join a Gratitude Challenge. These often take place in the month of November to celebrate Thanksgiving. The gist is to share one thing you are grateful for each day with a group of friends, or on Social Media. There’s something about sharing your gratitude with others that builds momentum and helps you see more things to be grateful for.
- Pray for gratitude. Accepting the bad and trusting God allowed it for your best is no small task. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to give thanks, in everything.
- Worship. Worship is especially helpful when you can’t find words to express your thankfulness. Singing of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and sovereign control can lead you to see those attributes in the moments of your day. Gratitude will follow.
Question for Reflection:
How will begin to cultivate gratitude today? Name three things you are grateful for right now. Bonus if one of them includes a difficult detail.
