This might not be such a popular thing to say right now, but I’m just not a huge gratitude junkie.
And here’s why: I don’t want to indulge in the kind of gratitude that arises when you hear that someone else has cancer or loses their job, or just happens to live in a polluted city in China.
“There but for the grace of God go I.” But why would God reserve grace just for me? Does that mean the other person who is suffering is out of the sphere of God’s grace? And when difficulties come my way (inevitably) does that mean I am no longer in God’s favor? Have I fallen out of grace? Did I do something to deserve it?
And then there’s all the great relationships I have, and all the stuff that I have, and so I should be grateful for that. But life is inherently transient. I could wake up tomorrow with it all wiped away, or not wake up at all.
Maybe life just is what it is. Maybe surrender and devotion are more useful. This is what is here, right now in front of me. This is just how my life is right now. I want to trust that. I want to trust that I have the inner capacity to overcome anything difficult I have to face. And maybe it’s in that overcoming that real strength and character evolve. I may not be comfortable all the time. I may not be blissfully happy every moment, and that’s okay. Maybe it’s that understanding that I should be grateful for.
Sometimes life is wonderful and sometimes things suck. But if I trust in my Source, I can handle whatever life gives me.
So, if that’s gratitude, then I’m in.
Recent Comments