The Spirit of Gratitude
While I was working the other day, a customer came in telling me about the lunch she had just left with a lifelong friend. She kept repeating “it is so great to have friends, I mean aren’t they just the best.” She said this over and over again while I was helping her, and I agreed and nodded along. I went on to tell her that one of my best friends was visiting from out of town, and she was ecstatic for me. She continued to tell me how grateful she was for her friends and to always keep the good ones in your life. I agreed once more and sent her on her way, but as she was leaving I had a realization:
Friends are truly the best and I need to be better at expressing gratitude.
I’m quite good at being grateful when I'm around the Thanksgiving dinner table, but when the dark winter days hit I often put my head down and get sucked into the busyness of life. For a lot of us the Christmas season can feel chaotic and busy, right up until the end of the year. Students are finishing up school for the term, work is constant, there's presents to be bought, parties to attend, and cookies to be baked. But in this busy season I get lost in the midst of it all and forget to look up.
When I look up and spend some time being grateful and softening my heart to what the Lord is doing, I suddenly feel a lot better. Things that felt like a burden suddenly bring me joy again. I am able to love the people in my life better and also express to them how grateful I am. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it says,
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
This text is urging us to rejoice always, not depending on the circumstances but on the Lord alone. Notice that it doesn't just say to give thanks in the good, perfect & super fun circumstances, but all of them. That means even in the dark winter, even when family is hard to be around, and especially when you don’t feel like it. I don’t think it's supposed to be easy to be grateful all the time, but it is what we are called to do as God's people.
Advent is a time where we Christians are to reflect and prepare for the celebration of our coming Savior; to prepare our hearts and focus on the love and joy that is only found in Jesus. I hope that this advent season you can spend some time being grateful for what He is doing in your life and praise Him for his goodness and mercy.
Some of the ways I have been practicing gratitude is before I even open my eyes in the morning, I simply thank God for a new day and pray for His will to be done. Then, when I'm driving to work I look around and pick a few things to be grateful for. Sometimes it's for the trees and other days it's for the rain. I also text or call my friends whenever I think about them. I
usually just check in or say I love them. I might not be telling random cashiers about my love for the people in my life, but maybe one day I’ll get there.
Merry Christmas,
Grace Moyer