Anyone have this problem ??????? Ingratitude laced with grumbling, complaining, and murmuring is an easy trap to fall into. And it is so contagious. Someone grumbles and the next thing you know, you fall right in line and start grumbling too. I wonder if that’s what happened in the wilderness as the Israelites made one more trek around Mount Sinai. “I’m sick of this manna,” one complained. Then another looked at God’s sweet provision and said, “Come to think of it, I’m sick of it too.” The next thing you know the sea of ingrates becomes a tidal wave of grumblers and God sends them on another lap around the wilderness and places a “Do Not Enter” sign in front of the Promised Land. When you think about it, ingratitude is a casual despising of God’s sovereignty. It’s like saying.. We don’t like how He is running things and think we could do it better. Wow slap me in the face! Gratitude and giving thanks in all things open our eyes to see God’s glory in even the smallest things. On the other hand, ingratitude blinds our eyes to God’s presence, and we miss His advances all around. It’s a choice, not an emotion. However, this choice to give thanks may very well open the way for positive emotions such as joy to emerge and take hold. Does that mean practice makes perfect??? Giggle There is nobody more miserable than an ungrateful person. I was talking about gratitude with someone we both mentioned how we try to steer clear of a certain person.....because they drain your JOY. “What do you mean?” “All they do is complain. Something is always wrong with there house. They always have a new ailment. They gives you the latest obituary report and tells me who is sick with what. A couple of times I you try to cheer them up. You know, help them see the positive side of things. ‘At least you have a house. Think of all those people who lost their homes in the Phillipines.’ But it only makes them mad. So now I just listen.” “My dad a Great man had very little joy in his life,” “As he came to the end of his life...he was worried about what little money he had to leave us kids when he died, I saw a pride in him I had never noticed before. ‘I did all this, I saved all this on very little... waving his hand around the room like Vanna White. ‘I worked hard and earned it all.’ In his mind, he had earned it; he had done it all. Never once did he give thanks to God for all his blessings or acknowledge God’s goodness. He showed no gratitude, no thanksgiving, and certainly no joy.” His things had become shiny shackles that kept joy at bay all his life. His things. How sad. “Pride slays thanksgiving…a proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.” Eyes shut tight to God’s glory. I am reminded of an old saying that stirs and stings: “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Always enough. Jesus thanked God for the two loaves and five fish… and there was more than enough to go around (John 6:1-13). Today, make a commitment to turn your grumbling to gratitude, your complaining into contentment, and your whining (did I just say that…yes I did) into praising God!
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:14:22 +0000