Thrive: A Journey Through the PsalmsSample

Attitude of Gratitude

As a child, I can remember sitting at the kitchen table writing out Christmas thank you cards to our relatives. I always enjoyed receiving gifts, but writing out cards was not a joyful task for me. Like most young boys, I preferred to play rather than sit and put my thoughts to paper. 

Taking the time to express gratitude should not have been a difficult task, but my attitude turned something that should have been a joyful response into an obligation or duty. When we allow ungratefulness or entitlement to creep in, we rob ourselves of the joy that comes from a life filled with thankfulness. When gratitude becomes a task rather than a joyful expression, we likely have a hardened heart. 

In this Psalm, we are warned not to harden our hearts as the Israelites did. We often think of a hard-hearted person as someone who doesn't want to respond to God. However, the hard-heart the Psalmist speaks about is the person who forgets to acknowledge God's goodness in their life. To harden our hearts is to continue in our lives without stopping to recognize the one who has blessed us. 

Daily Challenge: 

Has your attitude been causing gratitude to be a duty rather than a joyful response? Pray and ask God to remove any negative thought patterns in your life that hinder you from being thankful.